


Follow The Advice...Not the Example

by Geekygirl24



Series: Lucas Rory-Snart [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Child Abandonment, Dysfunctional Family, Family Fluff, M/M, criminal family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-11
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2018-05-19 19:41:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 88,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5978881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geekygirl24/pseuds/Geekygirl24
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coldwave Au, where Leonard and Mick find a child and raise him as their own. </p><p>Now going through the first season of Legends of Tomorrow</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. November Rain

**Author's Note:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship (despite the lack of fiction), and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)

“Fuck this rain….” Scowled Mick as he and his partner trudged through the streets of Central City, “…It’s fuckin’ freezing. Why didn’t we hotwire that car back there?!”

Leonard rolled his eyes as Mick continued to whinge beside him. “It’s not my fault you forgot your coat…and in case you didn’t realise, that car was outside a crowded bar. We’ve just escaped from Iron Heights, do you really want to draw attention to us again?”

Mick’s frown deepened, shoving his hands into his jean pockets in a desperate attempt to keep his hands warm. “Can’t even light a match in this piss…” he muttered.

“Some say having a walk in rain is romantic.”

“Only your sister says that…and don’t she mean summer rain? It’s November!”

Len shrugged, “What’s the difference?”

Before Mick could answer, he felt a hand gently grab his wrist and pull his hand out of his pocket. Mick couldn’t help but smirk as his hand was softly enclosed in Len’s own, gloved hand. “Ya know, if you wanted to be all romantic, all ya had to do was ask.”

“Shut up.”

“What d’ya say we run back to the flat and-“

“Shut. Up.”

Mick frowned, wondering what had gotten Len all worked up…until he heard it. A soft, wailing coming from the alley next to them. “What the…” he muttered, following Len as his partner dragged him into the alleyway. Slowly, they moved further and further into the darkness, closer and closer to the wailing.

Suddenly, Mick felt his boot knock against something and the wailing turned into shrieking. “Holy shit!” Mick swore, glancing down at the cardboard box containing newspapers….and a baby.

It was tiny. Mick didn’t have much (or any) experience with babies, but even he could tell this baby was way too small. Len knelt down by the box and gently placed a hand on the baby’s chest. “He’s shivering, but doesn’t appear to be too wet…” he glanced up, noticing a small balcony just above the box, “….the balcony must have kept him dry…not warm, but dry.”

Mick scowled, “How considerate of the bastards who left him here…”

He watched Len’s face darken in anger, as he nodded in agreement. “At least they had the common decency to tear up some newspaper in order to keep him warm.” He stated sarcastically, before straightening up and gesturing to the box, “Pick it up. We’ll take him with us.”

Mick raised an eyebrow, “Feeling all maternal are we?”

Len span around, anger still present on his face, “Oh I’m sorry…” sneered the man, “…I didn’t realise making sure a child was warm until morning, when he’ll be given to some orphanage, was so beneath us? I didn’t realise that such a big strong man like you would have so much trouble lifting up a cardboard box with a tiny baby in it! I guess I just thought you were actually fucking useful!”

Mick stared in bemused shock as his partner removed his coat and lifted the baby out of the box, wrapping it up in the warm inside of the coat and striding past Mick and back out of the alley. The hot-headed stood there for a few seconds, before quickly following on behind.

The remainder of the journey was spent in almost silence, with the only sound being the hiccupping sobs of the baby. Upon arriving back at their temporary apartment, Len instantly headed back to the bedroom, presumingly to grab some spare blankets, leaving a drenched Mick standing in the middle of the living room.

Sighing and grumbling to himself, he removed his wet coat and boots, before collapsing onto the moth-bitten couch.

“Mick….”

Mick glanced over at his partner, who had wrapped the kid in a blue blanket and was now standing in the doorway.

“…do we have any milk in this dump?”

Mick shrugged, his eyes sliding shut, “Yeah. It ain’t fresh though.”

There was silence, before something poked him in the side, causing him to grunt. “Well go get some then!” ordered Len, who was using his foot in an attempt to rouse his partner.

Mick scowled, grabbing the foot. “Why do I gotta go?! Why don’t you and the brat go, make it a family outing!”

He pushed Len away, almost causing him to lose his balance. “Because he’s finally fuckin’ asleep and when he wakes up, he’ll be hungry!” Len hissed angrily.

The pair glared at his each other for a few minutes before Mick threw his hands up in the air and pushed himself off of the couch. “Fine…” he growled, “…you still got that lucky money box of yours? I assume you don’t want me torching down some poor shop and ‘attracting’ unwanted attention?”

Len glared at him, carefully shifting the baby into one arm and pulling out a credit card with the other hand, “Here…” he flung the card at Mick, “… the pin’s your birthday. It’ll have enough on it to prevent any arsonist experience. Try and get some other baby supplies as well if you can.”

Without even glancing back, Mick stormed out of the flat, grabbing his coat and a cap (for a basic disguise), heading towards the nearest superstore. Striding through the store, he grumbled to himself as he shoved milk, diapers and other baby supplies, including clothes (teddy bears…really?) into the trolley. “Fetch this Mick…Sit Mick….Don’t argue with me Mick.”

A flash of yellow caught his attention from out of the corner of his eye, causing him to glance over. Sitting on the shelf was a bright yellow bear, a lopsided smirk on its face.

Creepy.

Smirking, Mick chucked it into the trolley only to stop again further up the aisle. The brat would need somewhere to sleep and he wasn’t sleeping with him and Len, not a chance….there was a fair chance of angry sex tonight and Iron Heights didn’t really allow inmates like him and Len to mix like that. 

After grabbing some general food items, he headed to the tills, only to be met with the bright, sunny grin of a teenage girl…new obviously. “Hi…” she chirped, eagerly scanning the items, “…new baby at home?”

Mick grunted, shoving the items in a bag. The girl continued, “It’s so nice of you to shop for your wife-Oh, a cot! Just back from the hospital?”

Smirking at the thought of Len being his wife, Mick nodded, inserting the card into the reader as the girl continued, “How exciting! Girl or boy?”

Mick thought furiously before grunting, “Boy.”

“What’s his name?”

“….Lucas”

“Cute! Why Lucas though?”

Mick shrugged, “Family tradition on his…mother’s side. Names beginning with L”

The girl grinned, “That’s sweet. Have a nice day Sir!”

Mick smirked, pushing the trolley to the shelter. With one hand, he hoisted the cot box onto his shoulder and grabbing the rest of the bags with the other. Thankfully, the rain had stopped so the walk was much nicer this time around. He arrived at the flat and shouldered the door open gently, before depositing the bags and box by the entrance. 

Sitting on the couch was his partner….who hadn’t even noticed him coming in. The man was smiling softly down at the baby (who was once again awake) and dangling his fingers over the kid….Mic had to admit, the confused expression on the brat’s face was quite cute.

“We’re not giving him to an orphanage are we?” Mick muttered, regretting the words instantly as Leonard’s face closed off.

“Yes. Why would you think any differently?”

Mick gently eased himself next to Leonard the couch, ignoring the way his partner tensed up. “One….you know what my life was like in the orphanage, and you are always saying how badly the system treats kids like us. Two…you’ve already bonded with him.”

Len frowned down at the baby, and shook his head weakly. “N-no, I was just-“

“Len…” Mick gently placed a hand on his partner’s shoulder, “…you’ve bonded with him. I could see it, even when you first picked the…kid up. I knew it.”

“…Why were you so pissy then?!”

Mick shrugged, “I was cold…and jealous I suppose.”

“…Over a baby?!”

“Lucas.”

Mick winced as Len raised an incredulous eyebrow, a smirk on his smug face. “Lucas?”

Mick mumbled something about a girl at the market and a...wife? Deciding to ignore whatever it was that Mick said, Len turned his attention back to the baby and sighed. “We can’t keep him. We’re thieves, he would never have a normal life.”

“And you’re afraid you’ll be like your Dad….which is bullshit by the way!”

Len shrugged, “It’s not impossible though. What if neglect him because I’m too focused on the job? Or-“

“Bullshit. Yeah, you’re focused before a job, but you won’t be doing this alone like your Dad did. You’ve got me. You’ve got Lisa, who will love this and you’ve got the rest of the Rogues…Possibly not Jesses, but I’m sure the others will be happy to help.” He placed a reassuring hand on Len’s shoulder, “You’re not Lewis…and Lisa will beat the shit out of you if you ever say that near her.”

Len smirked, “True….Lucas huh?”

“L names are common in your family….thought it was appropriate.”

“…I like it. Lucas Rory-“

“Snart….sounds better.”

“How about Rory-Snart?”

“You proposing?”

Len shrugged, “If you want…”

Mick didn’t reply, instead opting to stride over to the shopping and pull out the teddy bear, “Here…” he grunted, “…kids like stuff like this don’t they?”

Leonard seemed very shocked at this, his attention finally falling on the shopping bags….and the large box containing the cot. “Y-you got him a cot already?”

“He’s not sleeping with us….no way”

“….Deal. Do you know how to build it?”

“How hard can it be?!”

Len stared at him for a few moments, before shaking his head and reaching out to grab his mobile. “I’m calling Mardon.”


	2. Fighting Like Untrained Gorillas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship (despite the lack of fiction), and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)

Len rolled his eyes as he heard the police sirens disappear around the corner. 

Useless.

He smirked as he quickly checked that the diamonds were still in his left pocket, before heading into the alleyway, which would then lead him into the safe-house that he and his partner had chosen for the next few weeks. 

Upon shouldering the door open, he could hear the sounds of arguing and items being knocked over. “I leave him to take care of Lucas for a few hours and everything goes to hell…” he muttered as he lowered his hood and removed his googles. 

The reasons behind the shouting and smashing soon became clear as he entered the living room. Rolling about on the middle of the floor was his partner, Mark, Hartley (who was trying to get free) and James (who was gleefully hitting the other fighters over the head with a teddy bear, giggling madly).

Seated on the sofa was his sister, who was watching the fight with great interest as his 6-month old son babbled excitedly from his high chair, clapping his hands as the fighting continued. Whilst the group on the ground and his sister didn’t notice him, little Lucas did and he quickly held out his hands in the universal sign to be picked up, smiling broadly at the familiar sight of his Daddy.

Len smirked and held up a single finger to his lips, urging Lucas to be quiet as he aimed his cold gun at the ground. With a pull of the trigger, ice formed on the floor, quickly spreading to the group….causing the fighting group to slip and slide until they landed, face first, on the cold surface. 

With guilty looks on their faces, the men quickly rolled off the ice and sprang to their feet. Mick winced at the unimpressed look on his partner’s face. “Len….I didn’t think you’d be back so soon!”

“Apparently. Do you remember what I said about fighting in front of Lucas?”

Mick glanced at his son, “Don’t?”

Len shook his head, “No. My exact words were don’t brawl in front of in like untrained gorillas…it teaches him no skills and will be of no use to him.”

He strode over to Lucas’s high chair and lifted the boy out and into his arms. Lucas babbled, gently patting his Dad’s cheek and cooing. Len smiled at this, before turning his attention to his sister….who wasn’t too worried. Lisa shrugged, “If it makes you feel any better, I was refereeing?”

“Strangely enough, it does. Who won?”

“Well it wasn’t Hartley, that’s for sure.”

Len chuckled at Hartley’s protests, handing Lucas over to Mick as he removed his parka. Mick gently bounced his son up and down as he tried to protest his innocence. “I tried to stop them Len, honest!”

Len folded his arms across his chest and raised an incredulous eyebrow, “Really…”

Nodding eagerly, Mick grinned, gesturing his head at Lisa. “Yeah! Golden girl, tell him!”

Lisa smirked and shrugged, before nodding silently at her brother. Len sighed, rolling his eyes before turning his attention back to his partner. “So what happened?”

Mick shrugged, “They were fighting when I came in, something about Mar stealing something of Hartley’s….I’m not sure how Jesse got involved.”

“I felt left out…” pouted James, twisting the head of the teddy around.

Len sighed and shook his head, “I don’t even want to know….so tell me how you got involved?”

Mick winced, “Well…

………….Flashback…………….

Mick groaned as he strode into the living room. The fight had been going on for far too long now, and if Len came in to find those morons swearing in front of his kid, then they might not live to see tomorrow.

“All right, shut it!” he yelled, startling everyone in the living room into silence, “You've had your go at each other, and Snart will murder you if he finds out you’ve been cursing in front of Lucas! And I ain’t saving your dumb asses!”

The three men nodded in understanding, and all made to leave….until Lucas noticed that his entertainment was over and decided that a food fight was in order. Scooping up a handful of his mushy oatmeal, Lucas lobbed it at the back of Mark’s head….who took it as a sign that Hartley and James were ready to continue the fight….which they did.

Rolling his eyes, Mick shrugged his shoulders and smirked at Lisa. “If ya can’t beat ‘em!” With a bellow, he leapt into the scuffle, instantly pinning Hartley to the ground.

………….End Flashback………….

Len pinched the gap in between his eyes in exasperation, “So, you got involved….because they started fighting again?!”

“….Yeah, pretty much.”

Len glared at his partner for a few moments, before shaking his head wearily. “Fine….” He gently lifted Lucas out of Mick’s arms, “…I’m going to put him down for a nap, so long as you can keep yourselves from fighting amongst each other for that long?”

Without even waiting for an answer, Len strode into a nearby room which held Lucas’s cot and a box of toys and clothes. Laying the child down in the cot, Len smiled as Lucas yawned, the excitement of the day’s events catching up to him. His back to the room entrance, Len softly hummed as Lucas’s eyes slid shut.

“What’s wrong wit’ you?”

Without turning around at the sound of his partner’s voice, Len shrugged. “I don’t know what you mean. I’m upset because you were fighting in front of our son….”

Mick shook his head, “No…there’s something else. If you were mad about us fighting, you would have kicked us four out…..you didn’t even seem too worried about that! What happened on the job?”

“Nothing.”

“Len….”

“Leave it Mick.”

Cautiously, Mick placed a gentle hand on his lover’s shoulder, ignoring how Len tensed underneath his grip. “Len…what happened?”

There was silence for a few moments, before Len sighed. “There were children getting out of school….I could have taken the school bus hostage in order to get home even quicker….but all I could see were the faces of these young children who didn’t deserve to be frightened like that…So I just darted into an alleyway and made my way home.”

Mick frowned, “Let’s be honest, you’re not really the type to take children hostage….that’s a line you won’t cross. Jesse would, but not you….why are you really upset?”

“I thought about how that could be Lucas one day….but then I realized that that wouldn’t be the case.”

“What? Why?”

“O come on Mick…” Len span around and scowled at his partner, “…we’re criminals! There’s no way he’ll get into any school!”

“So we give him a fake name and forge all the documents….we’ve done it before.”

Len sighed, “What’s the point….it’s not like he’ll go to a good college or anything, he lives in a family of criminals!”

Mick shook his head and smiled, “You don’t know that Len….for all we know, the kid’ ll be a lawyer or some crap like that….it’ll be awkward if we ever get caught, but I like to think he’ll let us off lightly.”

Leonard remained silent, causing Mick to sigh and slowly pull his partner into a hug, giving the man enough time to move away if he felt uncomfortable. “He’s got years before we even have to worry about that…let’s just enjoy the years where he can’t talk back.”

“You afraid of a little kid calling you Mommy?” Len chuckled, his past worries seemingly vanishing.

“No….If he’s anything like you, he’ll be answering everyone back by the time that he’s three.”

“Would that be a bad thing?”

“Yes….it’s bad enough when you make me feel like an idiot, when a toddler starts doing it, that’s where I draw the line.”

Mick grinned as Leonard laughed….properly. Not the snide little chuckle he usually does, but a proper one that lit up his face.

“Aah that makes more sense.” Chuckled Len.

“Exactly…and he’s more likely to call you Mommy anyway.”

“Fuck you…”

“Language sweetie!”


	3. Hushabye Mountain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship (despite the lack of fiction), and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)

Leonard winced as the front door to their hide-out slammed open, as Mark Mardon made his way inside…10 seconds later, the screams of his son echoed throughout the apartment.

“Nicely done Mardon…” sighed Len, his eyes scanning the blueprints of their upcoming heist, “….nothing like a loud bang to really get a kid to settle down.”

“It’s the middle of the afternoon!” complained Mark, “What the hell’s the kid in bed for?!”

Mick, who was standing at the opposite end of the table, grinned. “Naptime...means me and his Daddy get some alone time.”

Mark grimaced, “Oh I didn’t need to hear that…” 

“Just because you and the little Piper ain’t-“

“Enough Mick!” interrupted Len, before turning his attention back to Mark, “You woke him up, now you can sort him out.”

“Sort him out?”

Len rolled his eyes, “Change his diaper and make sure he’s clean and dressed….simple enough for you?”

Mark scowled, spinning around and heading towards the kid’s room, muttering under his breath angrily. The screams had died off to the occasional wail and, upon entering the room, Mark couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty. Lucas had pulled himself up to his feet, hands still tightly clutching the bars of his cot as tears streamed down his cheeks. 

“Hey kiddo….” Whispered Mark, reaching in and lifting the baby out, “….sorry about that. Silly Weather wizard huh?”

Bouncing Lucas up and down, Mark managed to calm him down….until he smelt something that made his stomach churn slightly. “Fuc-Jesus Christ kid! What are they feeding you!?”

After a quick change (and the sudden realization that the diaper can be used as a shield against oncoming urine attacks), Mark found himself holding a scowling Lucas. “Right…now for clean clothes…which are where?”

He span around on the spot, causing Lucas to giggle a little, until his eyes fell on a box stuffed to the brim with colourful onesies and….was that a wolf? Picking up the top onesie, Mark was delighted to see that it had paw gloves/boots and a wolf-head hood.

“Oh I always knew your parents were softies…” he muttered as he placed Lucas back on the changing table in order to get him dressed. After a few minutes of squirming and protests, Lucas was all dressed up and ready to go. Mark carried him out into the living room and placed him on the ground.

“What do you want me to do now!?” called out Mark. Leonard strode in from the side room and grinned at the sight of his son crawling towards him, babbling excitedly as he went. “Well done Mardon…you were actually useful.” He knelt down to the ground and held out his hands, “And how are you wolfie, nice nap?”

Mark was impressed at the speed at which Lucas crawled towards his Dad, laughing when Leonard lifted him up into the air. 

“Alright Kiddo…” chuckled Leonard, “…You’re gonna need to stay in here whilst Daddy, Papa and Mark have a nice chat about the next job okay?”

He placed the child in his playpen as he and Mark entered the side room. The overall plan was simple really, the meet-up was just a formality. As they were going through the exit plan, Len suddenly paused, glanced at his watch and smirked. “Excuse me gentlemen, just got to nip out for a moment.”

He opened the door to the side room, to reveal Lucas just outside of the door. The baby babbled excitedly when he saw his Dad, however, this grin soon faded when Leonard picked him up and carried him back into the sitting room, and placed him back in the playpen. “No, no, no kiddo….” He chuckled warmly, “…you’ve got to stay in here remember?”

Without looking back, Leonard strode back into the side room, leaving the door slightly ajar. Mark frowned in confusion, “What the hell was that all about?”

Mick grinned, “Len’s figured out that it now takes Lucas around ten minutes to escape from his playpen and crawl to this room. I think the kid thinks it’s a game.”

Len nodded, “Yes, I’m sure he does. However, he only tends to do it once before giving up, so let’s get the rest of this plan sorted out before the heist.”

After around fifteen minutes, everything was clear. Mark rolled his shoulders and winced, “This had better work Snart. I’m fed up of that goodie two-shoes Flash spoiling all of my fun…and making me poorer as well.”

Len frowned, “It’ll work…so long as we all remain calm and try not to set off the silent alarms.” He glared at his partner and their team-mate as he said this, remembering previous heists.

None of them noticed the door ease open, “Aaah! Ba ba acka ba!!”

The three adults span around in surprise, their eyes widening in shock when they saw Lucas standing in the doorway, his hand braced on the doorframe as he wobbled slightly. Mark glanced between the kid and Len, “I thought you said he’d only escape once?”

Len, who was still staring at his son, frowned. “He usually only does…unless….” He trailed off as he moved around the table, leaving a clear path between him and Lucas. Slowly, he knelt down and held out his arms, “Come here Lucas…come on.” He softly whispered, his eyes still intently focused on his son.

There was a few seconds where nobody moved….until Lucas grinned, his hand leaving the support of the doorframe as he slowly stumbled over, placing one foot in front of the other. As he wobbled to within an arm’s length away, Len shuffled forwards and lifted his son up in the air and laughed, “Clever boy!”

Mick bounded over and lifted Lucas out of Len’s arm’s, throwing him in the air and catching him again, “Watch out world!” he cried out, “We’ve got a new Flash on the block!” Lucas giggled, gently patting his Papa on his rough cheek, causing the arsonist’s grin to broaden, “You were very careful to make sure that there were no cameras around when you did that weren’t you?!”

“Don’t worry about that…” chuckled Mark, causing all eyes to focus on him. He had his phone in hand and was typing out a message, “…that cute little moment was caught, and now all of the Rogues will see that Captain Cold isn’t quite as icy as he would like us to believe.”

Both Mark and Mick laughed at the grimace on Len’s face (with Lucas quickly joining in for the hell of it).

“Even my sister?”

“Even your sister…so don’t be surprised if she decides to make an unexpected visit.”

It took a while, but eventually Leonard managed to school his face into a more neutral expression, “Well, do send us a copy then…it’ll be something to watch when he’s tiring us out in a couple of years.”

…………………………………………..

Mark stayed for a few hours afterwards, watching as Snart and Rory took delight in encouraging Lucas to walk to them, increasing his confidence as he got steadier and steadier. Eventually, the three of them made their way to the moth-bitten sofa, where Len promptly fell asleep.

Mark watched as Mick smiled at his partner, it was one of the only times the arsonist looked soft.

“Damn fool…” muttered Mick, gently bouncing Lucas up and down, “….he’s been up at all hours of the morning trying to plan this job.”

“He always has been dedicated….hey, Lucas is looking a little droopy?”

Mick glanced down to see his son’s head bobbing up and down as he tried to stay awake. “Wonderful….” He muttered, “….usually Len’s the one to put him to bed.”

“…Why’s that?”

“His singing voice is nicer than mine.”

“Snart can sing?!”

“Oh yeah….surprised me as well.” Slowly, Mick stood up, being careful not to jostle Len as he strode towards Lucas’s room and placed him in the cot. As soon as his back hit the mattress, the one-year old began to fuss, arching his back as he softly sobbed.

Mark shook his head in amazement, “B-but he was tired!”

Mick sighed, “Don’t try and understand a baby’s logic….” He lifted Lucas back into his arms and began to rock him back and forth, “….Alright kiddo, you brought this on yourself.”

Quietly, he began to hum a familiar tune;

“A gentle breeze from Hushabye Mountain  
Softly blows over Lullaby bay  
It fills the sails of boats that are waiting  
Waiting, to sail your worries away

It isn't far to Hushabye Mountain  
And your boat waits down by the key  
The winds of night, so softly are sighing  
Soon they will fly your troubles to sea

So close your eyes on Hushabye Mountain

Wave goodbye, to cares of the day  
And watch your boat from Hushabye Mountain  
Sail far away from Lullaby Bay

So close your eyes on Hushabye Mountain  
Wave goodbye, to cares of the day  
And watch your boat from Hushabye Mountain  
Sail far away from Lullaby Bay”

Before the song was even finished, Lucas was fast asleep. Mick gently placed him back into the cot and the pair tiptoed out of the room. Mark clapped the arsonist on the back and grinned, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? Really?”

“It’s a classic….”

Mark smirked, “You know…you’re actually a good father.”

“You sound surprised….”

“It’s a good kind of surprised…if that means you’re less likely to kill me.”

Mick shrugged, “Me and Len didn’t have the best childhoods….I like to think we’re making up for our parents, by being good ones ourselves.”

“Well, you’re succeeding….” Grinned Mark, “…and that kid’s happy with you guys.”

“I only hope it stays that way.”


	4. Trip To The Zoo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship (despite the lack of fiction), and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)

“Dada!”

Mick groaned, burying his face into the back of his partner’s neck, squeezing his eyes shut in a desperate attempt to ignore the questioning voice at the side of the bed. 

“Papa! Dada!”

Mick felt Leonard shuffle slightly in his grasp as the men turned away, “Your son has escaped again…..” whispered Len, smirking as small hands pulled at the duvet.

“Dada! Papa!”

Mick sighed, “We need to get him a bigger cot….”

“DADA!”

“I doubt it would help….” Groaned Len, sitting up as the cries of his son grew louder, “…he’s growing up to be quite the escape artist.”

He reached over the side of the bed in order to pick Lucas up (who was already attempting to climb onto the bed), as Mick sat up. Once on the bed, Lucas began to bounce up and down, beaming excitedly as he slapped the mattress. “Zoo! Zoo!”

Mick glanced at Len, “Was that today?”

Len, who was already getting out of bed, nodded. “Yes…..” he picked up his wristwatch and smirked, “….half seven. With how excited he was last night, I’m surprised he waited this long to wake us up.”

Mick lifted his son into the air, smiling at the boy’s laughter. “You know he can’t tell time yet, he probably just wore himself out. He was running around till about eight last night.”

“True.”

Together the pair got Lucas ready, placed him in the living room, and then got ready themselves. Mick grabbed the cleanest clothes that he could find, as Len reached into some drawers and pulled out two pairs of glasses.

Mick frowned, “What are those for?”

“It’s just in case anyone recognises us.”

“….And glasses are going to help with this?!”

Len smirked, “Of course. It’s the latest trend amongst superheroes.”

“What?”

“Well think about it. Superman doesn’t wear a mask, so he must have some sort of disguise when he’s not saving cats from trees. Glasses are the perfect disguise!”

“Maybe he wears a wig?”

Len waved his hand in a dismissive manner, “The face is still too recognisable, however with glasses, your whole outward appearance changes and you can then change your personality to match.”

Mick still seemed confused, so Len continued, “Okay, look at me…” Mick was quick to obey, though not where his partner meant, “….look at my face Mick.” Smirking, Mick did, shrugging at the slightly annoyed expression on Len’s face.

“Thank you…” sighed Len, “…Okay, without the glasses, anyone could recognise me as Captain Cold. However, once I put them on….” He placed the glasses on, “…I look different.”

“You look like a fuckin’ lawyer…or a prissy school teacher.” Grunted Mick, shuffling as he tried to will away the familiar stirrings down below. 

It didn’t seem to work as Len smirked at him, “Exactly, now all I have to do is change my body language to match this….” He relaxed his shoulders and made himself seem smaller as he nervously bit his lip. He straightened up when he saw his partner’s eyes glaze over, “That turns you on?!”

Mick shrugged, “What can I say…you really suit glasses. And I see your point…maybe they’re actually useful.”

Len grinned, “Exactly…Superman is probably just some hapless assistant somewhere!”

“I would pay money to see that.”

Rolling his eyes, Len threw the glasses at Mick. “Come on, get ready. I assume the car is…legal?”

“Yep, fresh plates and a new paint job….one that wasn’t done by Jesse.”

“Good. The Mystery Machine van last time wasn’t exactly subtle.”

………………………………………………………………………….

Mick sighed in relief as they pulled into the zoo car park. They had managed to avoid the majority of the traffic, however, the adoring stares directed at his partner were slowly beginning to piss him off. Leonard had spent almost the entire journey, twisted around in his seat, pulling funny faces and chattering at Lucas….women loved that.

“Mick!”

Mick was startled out of his thoughts by Len’s annoyed tone, “I’ve been calling your name for ages! Can you please hold Lucas whilst I set this blo-blasted buggy up.”

Quickly, Mick exited the car and lifted Lucas into his arms, as Len muttered angrily. “Whoever designed these, needs to be shot…”

Mick smirked, before turning his attention to Lucas. The 18 month old was all wrapped up in a big, green coat in to protect him from the elements. Clutched in his arms was a soft, zebra plush, more grey and black than white, after being dragged around the floor of their safe-house for a while. 

“Hey kiddo…” grinned Mick, catching Lucas’s attention and dragging it away from Len (who was still fighting with the buggy), “…you looking forward to seeing the zebras?”

He made sure to gently tug on the leg of the soft toy in order to let Lucas know what he was talking about. Lucas squealed excitedly and began to babble, the occasional coherent word coming through, as he waved his toy around and wriggled in Mick’s arms.

“There!” exclaimed Len in success, “Didn’t take too long…”

Wisely, Mick chose not to comment as he knelt down to strap Lucas in. “Dare I ask how much this is costing us?”

“I got a special discount….Hartley’s hacking skills are very useful in times like this.”

…………………………………………………………………………..

Mick winced as his legs began to protest the long hours of walking. From mating elephants…

(“Are they-“

“Yes. Come on, let’s go before Lucas notices.”)

…...to a lion showing considerable interest in the kid.

(“Determined ain’t she?”

“I have never been more thankful for glass….”)

Lucas had beamed at everything, showing no specific preference for any animal…until they reached the zebras. The enclosure was surrounded by a wooden fence that prevented the public from the ditch that the enclosure had in place to keep the zebras from jumping over the fence.

“Look! Look!” yelled Lucas in excitement, pointing at the enclosure, “Out! Out!”

Len glanced at the zebras and sighed, “We’re not letting the zebras out, there’s no need to torment the predators in this place anymore.”

Lucas continued, “Out! Out!”

Mick glanced down and smirked, “I don’t think it’s the zebras he wants letting out.”

Len followed his gaze, to see Lucas squirming in the buggy, his hands grasping at the straps in a desperate attempt to get free. “Aah, I see…” Len gestured for Mick to spin around that he could get to the backpack Mick had been carrying. After only a minute, he pulled out a smaller backpack that had some reins attached to it.

Mick frowned, “Is that….a leash?”

Len rolled his eyes as he moved to let Lucas out, “It’s not a leash, he’s not a dog…it’s a child harness, making it very difficult for him to run away.”

“Still sounds like a leash to me…”

Len glared at him, before shrugging, “Okay fine…you think you can keep an eye on him without it, be my guest.”

As soon as he unclicked the buggy belt, Lucas leapt out and scurried over to the enclosure….and tried to fit through the small gaps in the wooden fence.

“Kid! No, no, no!” called out Mick in worry, rushing over and lifting Lucas into his arms. Ignoring how the child struggled and reached out for the zebras, he strode back towards Len and held out his hand. “You win…”

Len smirked, “As soon as he could walk, he was running.” Quickly and carefully, he fastened the harness onto Lucas, placing the soft zebra into the backpack, as Lucas seemed to have forgotten all about it the excitement of seeing real-life zebras.

Once securely fastened, Lucas was placed back on the ground. The child squealed and headed back towards the fence…only to stop in tracks when he realised that he couldn’t go any further. He span around and pouted at his parents, stomping his feet and glaring, “Le’ go! Le’ go!”

Leonard shook his head, smirking at the look on his son’s face. “No Lucas. You need to stay with us….now, we’ve been fair and let you out of the buggy. But you’re not allowed to go and join the zebras.”

There was a silent stare-down between the two, until Lucas stomped his feet once more and attempted to storm away….only truly managing it once Len and Mick followed on behind him. Mick leaned in to his partner and smirked, “He gets that from you…”

Len frowned, “Gets what?”

“That little frown….totally you. And the way he stormed away after losing an argument? You.”

“I don’t lose….in a battle of wits, some people are simply unarmed opponents, and I have an unfair advantage when arguing with them.”

Mick scoffed, but chose not to argue. As they continued on their walk, Len found himself needing the harness less and less as Lucas slowed down to a point where he was able to hold his Dad’s hand, eagerly pointing at the rest of the animals as they passed.

When they reached the end of the zoo and Lucas got too tired, Len quickly put his son back in the buggy and they headed back towards the car park. After nipping into the (overpriced) gift shop to grab another zebra soft toy, Mick once again found himself holding his son as Len struggled with the buggy.

“This was nice….” He stated, smiling as Len nodded in agreement, “…and it’s a good thing his little tantrum didn’t last too long.”

“His attention span isn’t long enough for a proper tantrum yet….give him time.”

“….Can I delegate all future tantrums to you?”

Len, after shoving the buggy into the boot, nodded. “Of course….” He held out his arms for Lucas.

Shocked, Mick was quick to hand their son over. “Really?!”

Len strapped Lucas in, “Yes. I know how to be stern…you’ll just give in.”

The pair climbed into the car as Mick protested, “I can be firm!”

“No you can’t, remember when I told him to say sorry a few weeks ago, for kicking me, and he just burped in reply. You found that hilarious.”

“It was funny! Your face was just brilliant!”

Len smirked, “And that is why you’re not going to be one to deal with him when he’s in a mood.”

“….Fair enough.”


	5. Fever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship (despite the lack of fiction), and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)

Mark shot awake, his eyes wide as he scanned the room. 

Something was wrong….but what?

Wearily, he sat up on the moth-bitten sofa that he’d been resting on, stretching as he glanced at the clock. 

3am…great.

He’d spent the night at Cold and Heatwave’s new safe-house after running into some trouble with the police (and The Flash) earlier that day. Usually, this wasn’t a problem (aside from being slapped on the face by a toddler as a method of waking up), but tonight, something was off.

Silently, Mark listened out for whatever woke him up….there!

From Lucas’s room, there came a soft wail followed by hiccupping sobs. Mark glanced at the door that led to Leonard and Mick’s room, noticing a severe lack of frantic Captain Cold…nothing. Not even the bed-springs creaking as one of them reacted to the sound of their son crying.

“Great…” he sighed, pushing himself up off of the sofa and towards Lucas’s room. Upon entering, Mark could immediately tell that something was wrong. 

Lucas’s darkish skin was flushed, sweat glistening on his forehead as he whimpered and sobbed.

“Shit…” muttered Mark, noticing a glazed look in the toddler’s eyes as the child stared up at him. Frantically, he lifted Lucas up into his arms and began to pace, “Ill child…ill child. What do I do?!” He paused, “I’ll call The Flash! No, he’ll arrest us and Lucas will be taken away.”

After a few minutes of pacing, Mark sped towards Len and Mick’s room, bursting through the door….only to take a step back when Mick snarled and grabbed his Heat gun off of the bedside table, aiming it at Mark and shifting slightly in front of Len in order to protect him.

“Mick chill!” ordered Len, as he quickly recognized who was standing in the doorway, “Mark, what the hell are you-Is that Lucas?!”

Mark nodded, holding the sobbing toddler out in front of him, “He’s really hot and he was wailing and I don’t think he’s focusing too well! He’s sick!”

Almost immediately, Len and Mick shot up out of bed, with Len quickly taking Lucas into his own arms.

“Dada…” whimpered the child, “…no feel good Dada!”

Len quietly shushed him, gently swaying from side to side as he tried to calm his son down, “I know, I know….” He whispered, “….Mick, run to the twenty four hour pharmacy and grab a thermometer. Mark, grab a cloth and run it under the cold tap. We need to cool him down.”

Without his usual complaints, Mick ran out of the house, only pausing to grab a coat as Mark did his best impression of The Flash in order to try and cool Lucas down. 

………………………………………………………………………………….

It only took Mick 10 minutes to come back from the drug store, arriving home to find his partner and Mark seated on the sofa, both intently focused on the toddler in Len’s arms. Lucas had a cloth on his head and was still whimpering softly.

“How is he?”

Len shook his head at Mick’s question, “We won’t know until we check his temperature…if it’s too high, we may have to call for an ambulance.”

The thermometer was quickly handed over and the three adults waited in tense silence for the results. After a couple of minutes, the thermometer beeped and Len was quick to check it. “100.5°F….” he sighed in relief, “….that’s only slightly above the lowest medical temperature for a fever.” 

He glanced at the other two, “He’ll be fine. We just need to keep him hydrated and fed if needed.”

The other two nodded in agreement, with Mark preparing to get up when needed.

“Mark….”

There we go. Mark knew this was coming.

“….Can you go and get some water for him. In his sippy cup please, I don’t think he’s alert enough to try a proper cup.”

Mark was already half off the sofa before Len even finished the sentence, speeding towards the kitchen before he could asked to do anything else.

“Dada! Don’ feel good!”

It was going to be a long night.

…………………………………………………………………

Lucas’s fever broke at around 9am the following morning, after hours of Len rocking him to and fro and the other two fetching glasses of water and bread, it was finally broken. 

As Lucas fell asleep, Len sighed in relief. “Finally….he should sleep for the next few hours. In the meantime, we should get some cold or flu medicine for him. That’s probably the most common reason behind his fever.”

Mick nodded from his seat besides Len. Mark, who was listening from the kitchen, smiled at the lack of tension in Len’s voice, for the first time since finding out Lucas was sick.

“Going to rob another drug store are you Snart? I can’t imagine there’s much money in it for you?”

Mick and Len leapt up off of the couch at the familiar, slightly robotic, voice from the doorway of their safe house. Mark remained in the kitchen, his hands tensed in case of a fight….after all, Len and Mick’s guns were still in their bedroom.

The Flash took a step closer, his eyes still intently focused on the pair, “You’d better give me an answer soon Snart. Why send your partner to rob a drug store? Got something planned have we?”

Len glared at Mick, being careful to shield Lucas from the Flash’s gaze, “You stole it?!” he hissed, watching as Mick shuffled sheepishly from side to side.

“Didn’t have any money….” The arsonist grunted, “…and that bitch didn’t understand it was an emergency!”

Before Len could say anything, The Flash interrupted, “That young woman had a panic attack, and still managed to call the CCPD….” Scolded the speedster, “…you’re lucky she didn’t have a heart condition, or you might have caused something more serious.”

Whilst Mick’s face looked neutral at this news, Len could see that he was feeling guilty….he had enough experience calming Len down during his own, rare, panic attacks. 

“You’ll be disappointed to know that there isn’t a big plan for you foil this time Flash…” drawled Len, smirking at the frown on the hero’s face, “….just a little personal matter. Mick….” The man snapped to attention, “…go grab the money so that we can pay them back.”

Mick backed slowly into the bedroom, with only a couple of minutes passing by before he came back and held out his hand, coins in his palm. The money quickly vanished as The Flash snatched it out of his hand.

“I’ll let you off this time Snart…” stated The Flash, the confusion evident in his voice, “…just answer me this. Why?”

Len and Mick glanced at each other, until Len sighed wearily and gently adjusted the sleeping toddler so that his face was in view….well, until Lucas whined and buried his face into his Dad’s chest. 

The Flash stared at the child, his eyes wide behind his mask, “Is that-“

“His name is Lucas…” interrupted Leonard, “…he had a fever and we didn’t know how serious it was until we had a thermometer.”

“How old is he?”

“Two.”

“…Fevers can be dangerous at that age.”

“I know…that’s why we needed the thermometer. Just in case it was so high, we needed to call an ambulance.”

There was silence for a couple of minutes, before The Flash shook his head and moved to leave, “I’ll let you off this time….the CCPD doesn’t have time to deal with you two…three. We have bigger problems….”

Knowing that he was referring to Mark, Len and Mick remained silent until there was a sudden blast of air and the speedster was gone.

Len sighed in relief, “That was too close…” he whispered, heading towards Lucas’s room.

Mick scowled, “How do you know he won’t go spreading the news around that we have a kid? If social services come knocking on our door, then I can’t be blamed for what I’ll do, ya understand?”

Len shook his head, gently placing Lucas on his bed, prying the child’s fingers from his t-shirt, “He won’t…he’s too much of a hero for that…”

Mick frowned, but before he could say anything, he was interrupted by another voice in the doorway. “Even heroes can be dicks…” Mark stepped into the room, “…Who’s to say he won’t just blab to the cops and have them here in a matter of minutes?!”

Len smirked, “Well, technically we haven’t stolen anything after Flash took that money…and we legally adopted Lucas.”

“Really?”

“No…but we have the paperwork that says we did.”

Mick grinned as Mark shook his head in disbelief, “The fact that you’re raising the kid in self-proclaimed safe-houses might still be a problem!”

“Yes. Maybe, but they are warm safe-houses with all the necessities. Heating, water, electricity…everything we need. We’ll be fine….” Len suddenly paused in thought, “…although to be safe, I’ll start looking for another apartment tomorrow and we’ll leave when Lucas is feeling better.”

Mick nodded in agreement, pulling Lucas’s duvet up to the child’s chin, “You want me to go get the medicine?” he asked.

Len scoffed, “I think you’ve caused enough trouble. I’ll call Lisa and ask her to pick some up before she comes round today. In the meantime, we all need sleep…” he stifled a yawn, before heading out of Lucas’s room, with the other two following on behind.

Mick placed his hand on Len’s lower back, “It’s not quite sleep that I need…”

Len smirked, leaning in close. “Well…that’s all you’re getting.”

Taking advantage of Mick’s silence, Len strode into their room, as Mark mimicked the sound of a whip, “Easy to see whose boss he-Mick…Mick don’t-OUCH!”

“You deserved that.”


	6. Jingle Bells

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship (despite the lack of fiction), and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)

Leonard blinked wearily as traces of sunlight streamed through the slight gap in the curtains. The current owner of the house they were squatting in had taken his family away for a Christmas holiday, much to the criminal’s delight.

The bed was luxurious and there was plenty of room for their toddler, Lucas to run around in….speaking of which. Len wearily sat up and nudged Mick, listening intently for any signs that Lucas was up yet.

Mick groaned, “I don’t know if I can deal with this Christmas shit today….”

“You Grinch….don’t say that in front of James. He’ll riot.”

“When are they coming round?”

“Later on….when they can sneak in easily without alerting the neighbours.”

Mick nodded in understanding, grinning as they heard Lucas’s door creak open….and then nothing. “He’s not coming in?” Mick frowned, as the pair slowly got out of bed.

Len smirked, “That’s because of a little trick…a box full of toys off of Santa just outside his room. Keeps him occupied….”

“For how long?”

Before Len could answer, the door to their room flew open and an excited two year bounded into the room and leapt onto the bed. “Daddy! Papa! Look! Look!”

He tipped a small cardboard box out onto the bed. Quickly, the kid rummaged through the items, holding each one up so that his parents could see.

“Deadpool!” A mini Deadpool keyring.

“Thor!” A Thor action figure

“Star Wars bottle!” A bottle with Stormtroopers and Darth Vader on it.

“Skipping wope!” With Captain America’s symbol on it

“Sweeties!”

“Stickers and pencils!” In the style of Big Hero 6 and Ninja Turtles.

Len grinned at the enthusiasm in his son’s face, “Did Santa get you all of those things?”

“Yep!”

Mick chuckled, pushing himself off of the bed and then lifting his son into his arms. “Come on Kid! Let’s see what else Santa brought huh?”

Len picked up Lucas’s toys and the three moved into the living room, where a large Christmas tree was waiting for them, with presents after presents waiting for them.

“Go on kiddo…” encouraged Mick, placing Lucas on the floor and watching him run towards the tree, “…you gonna make us some hot coca Lenny?”

Len rolled his eyes and nodded, placing Lucas’s toys on the sofa and heading to the kitchen.

After sorting out the coca, Len made his way back into the living room and handed the mugs over. “So what have you got Lucas?”

Lucas beamed up at his Dad, “Look!”

Lucas had managed to open five presents in the time taken to make coca. He’d gotten a Legolas toy (without the small choking hazards), an Avengers colouring book, a monster bowling set (with soft pins and ball of course), a dinosaur hooded bath robe and wooden mini xylophone.

Mick pointed at the last item and shook his head, “Ain’t he noisy enough?”

“It’s not Christmas unless there’s something that makes a noise…” Len winced as Lucas began to enthusiastically bang out a tune on the xylophone, “….but Santa is now regretting the decision slightly.”

Mick chuckled before turning his attention back to Lucas, “Hey kiddo, why don’t you let me and Daddy see what we’ve got?”

Pouting slightly, Lucas nodded, grabbing his hot (read as lukewarm) coca and watching his parents intently. Reaching under the tree, the pair pulled out the presents with their names on them….one each, but Mick knew that he’d be getting a special present later.

“Same time?” asked Len, grinning as Mick seemed to regress back into a five year old and nodded eagerly. Quickly, they removed the wrapping paper.

Len grinned as he pulled out a mug that had ‘Yoda one for me’ printed on it with a little cartoon of Jedi Master Yoda underneath it. “You romantic you…” he laughed, kissing Mick on his rough cheek as a thank you. Leonard had loved Star Wars from the moment he saw it, and always found it sweet when Mick remembered this.

Mick, in the meantime, was staring at his gift in wonder. In his hand, was an engraved lighter with his name on one side, and his partner’s on the other. “This is….amazing” he muttered, turning to Len and pulling him into a one-armed hug. “Thank you…” he whispered, kissing his partner on the side of his head.

“Me now?”

Len and Mick laughed at the interruption, nodding as Lucas headed back over to his present stack. Due to their often need to move, there was only five left but Lucas didn’t seem bothered by this. Eagerly he unwrapped a paint set, a stuffed toy dinosaur (that also acted as a nightlight), a set of storybooks, a fireman costume and an alphabet letter puzzle. 

“Wow, you must have been a good boy…” chuckled Len as Lucas was quick to open the books and smile at the colourful pictures, “…you’ve got a lot of nice things haven’t you?”

“Yeah!”

Len turned to Mick and grinned, “Should keep him quiet until the others arrive…”

“You wish…”

……………………………………………..

For the remaining hours until it got dark, Len attempted to cook dinner as Mick and Lucas played by the open fireplace, which was thankfully guarded by a grate. Lucas had insisted on wearing his fireman hat whilst they played with the Thor and Legolas action figures.

“No! The fire is too stwong!” cried out Lucas as he held up the Legolas toy.

Mick shook his head and tried to focus on something other than the flames. “Careful kiddo….maybe Thor had better help the elf out eh?”

Lucas nodded in agreement, crawling over to where Thor had ‘flew’ to. Sensing that the kid was deep in his fantasy world, Mick quickly nipped into the kitchen. “You need any hel-“

He stopped in his tracks when he saw his partner placing the finishing touches on the last plate. Len grinned at the astounded look, “Don’t look so shocked…most of this is oven ready stuff. Like the pre-cut, stuffed turkey.”

Mick laughed at this, pulling his partner into a bear hug, “That’s one way to deal with the stress of cooking!”

Len mock-pouted, “You say that like all this was easy? It takes a lot of effort to take stuff out of the oven and make mashed potatoes!”

“Oh, I’m sure…”

Len smirked, leaning in for a kiss…only to be interrupted as someone rang the doorbell, causing the pair to groan.

“They have horrible timing….” Groaned Mick as he headed towards the front door, leaving Len to finish plating up. Upon opening the door, he was met with a truly ghastly image….James dressed all in green and red. Bright green and red.

“Merry Christmas Micky!”

Mick growled, grabbing the man by his tie and dragging him inside, waving the other three in as well. “Shut up Jesse, you wanna tell the whole neighbourhood we’re here?!”

James pouted, “You are just no fun Flame boy.”

Once they entered the living room, Lucas came running up to them, babbling excitedly as he held up his action figures.

Lisa smiled, lifting the toddler into her arms before striding over to her brother to give him a gentle peck on the cheek. “Having fun?” she chuckled, watching as Len placed the plates of food on the table.

Len smirked, “Tons….you wouldn’t mind getting Lucas settled in his high chair whilst I get the others would you?”

“Of course not.”

It took a lot of persuading, but eventually, everyone was seated, with Mark poking fun at Mick. “You can tell you didn’t cook this…it’s not charcoal!”

“I can cook!”

Len smirked, “Soup….and that’s only because you can’t set that on fire.”

“…True.”

…………………………………

After dinner, the group moved to the living room, where more presents waited. Len quickly moved Lucas to his lap in order to prevent any premature unwrapping. “Okay, now it’s presents from us, alright?”

Lucas nodded excitedly as Hartley picked up a largish box. Moving to the floor, Lucas ripped off the paper to reveal a boxed, colourful radio with several tapes attached to it. 

“I put all of his favourite songs on those and the radio is battery powered, so it can be used in the car.” Explained Hartley.

Noticing that Lucas was trying to get into the box, Hartley knelt down to help and soon, the sounds of ‘I Just Can’t Wait To Be King’ filled the room.

Jesse’s present turned out to be a Jack-in-the-box. “Homemade this one is!” beamed James proudly, causing the rest of the Rogues to shuffle slightly in preparation to move to safety. After a few turns of the handle, a mini Flash on a spring popped up, causing Lucas to jump back.

Len tensed when it seemed like his son was going to cry from the shock, but Lucas just clapped excitedly. Mark’s present was simpler, with the paper revealing a soft toy monkey, which made the appropriate noise when squeezed (as quickly discovered by Lucas).

Mick groaned slightly under his breath, “Why does everything have to make a noise?”

Lisa smirked at this, gently patting the man on his arm. “Well, I can guarantee my present won’t make a sound…it’s the one with the snowflakes on sweetie!”

Lucas grabbed said present and ripped off the paper….to reveal a small blue parka and some goggles. The toddler squealed in excitement, “A Daddy coat!!”

Len couldn’t help but stare as Lisa helped Lucas put the coat on, removing the fireman hat so that she could put the goggles on. Tugging the hood over his head, Lucas bounded eagerly over to his parents, “Look, look Daddy! I’m you!”

Ignoring the muffled laughter of Mick beside him, Len lifted Lucas onto his lap and grinned, “Yeah you are….all you need now is a little cold gun.” Before Lucas could think to ask for one, Len pointed at Lisa, “Now what do we say to Auntie Lisa?”

Lucas twisted around to beam at her, “T’ank you Auntie Lisa!”

Lisa, who had been taking pictures at this point, smiled as Lucas leapt of his Dad’s lap to run around the living room, aiming his imaginary cold gun at ‘the scawet speedster!’

The Rogues watched for a few minutes, laughing as Lucas cheered in victory at defeating the Flash, narrowly avoiding tripping over one of his many presents. 

“Well, I guess you don’t want to open the present from us then….” Sighed Len, smirking slightly as Lucas stopped in his tracks.

Mick was quick to catch on, nodding as he groaned, “After all, we can’t top that awesome coat!”

Lucas was quick to run up, clambering onto the sofa and gently patting his Papa and Dad on the arms, “No, no, noooooo” he whined, “Noooo, want your pwessie too!”

Len chuckled at this, reaching down by the side of the sofa and pulling up a long box, “This is off me and Papa okay?”

Lucas nodded eagerly, grabbing the box and ripping the paper off. “A ligh’saber! I gotta ligh’saber!” he squealed in delight as he opened the box and pulled out the foam lightsaber.

“Well, there go the ornaments…” mused Hartley as Lucas prepared to strike out at the walls.

Before the soft weapon could hit the shelves on the walls, Len lifted Lucas into the air and moved him away. “Let’s keep the destruction to a minimum hmmmm?”

Scowling slightly, Lucas nodded.

“Are you a Sith or a Jedi?” asked Lisa, frowning when the rest of the Rogues (minus Len and Mick) turned to her in shock, “What?! Len loved it as a kid, practically forced me to watch it! I had to pick something up….”

Lucas, who was oblivious to the shock of the Rogues, had ran over to his soft toy monkey, picking it up before racing back to his Aunt, “I’m Luke! And dis is Chewie!”

“Excellent…so you’re a hero?”

Lucas shrugged, swinging his lightsaber around as he went back into his fantasy world. Lisa turned to her brother and grinned, “Lucas…Luke…nice of you to get as close as you can to a Star Wars reference without actually naming him Luke Skywalker.”

Len smirked, before gesturing at Mick, “He named him, not me….”

Mick groaned at the delighted look on Lisa’s face, “It wasn’t meant to be a hidden nerd reference, it’s just because everyone in your fu-family has an L name! I was just following the trend.”

Lisa laughed as Len patted Mick on the arm in a patronising way, “Of course….of course.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

By the time 8pm rolled around, Lucas was crashed out on the couch as the Rogues decided to head home, with James singing softly to himself “Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg….”

Once they were all out, Len sighed in relief. “Thank God, that’s over….” He glanced at Mick, “…rock, paper, scissors as to who gets Lucas ready for bed versus packing. We are leaving tomorrow after all.”

Mick nodded, “No need, I’ll pack…you get the sprog in bed.”

“Thank you…early night tonight?”

“To bed? Yes. To sleep? Perhaps we can stay up for a bit?”

“Only if you make it worth my while….”

“Yes boss!”


	7. First Heist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship (despite the lack of fiction), and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)

“The Great White shark is one of the most feared creatures that roam our seas…” 

Mick groaned, quickly changing channels. If you’ve seen one shark documentary, you’ve seen them all…and the ones at 2am were especially shit. 

As Ellen appeared on the screen, Mick stretched out on the sofa, not quite willing to go to bed just yet. Him and Len had had another argument a few hours ago, and his partner made it very clear that he wanted to be alone for a while…even if that meant Mick spent the night on this lumpy couch, in this draftee apartment.

Just as Ellen was about to introduce her guest, there was a gentle knock on the door. Once opened, Lisa strode in, glancing at the main bedroom door, “Len asleep?” she whispered, smiling as Mick nodded, “…excellent. How much does Lucas weigh?”

Mick frowned at her and shrugged, “Dunno…”

“Well…is it written down anywhere? He’s just been to the doctor’s right?”

"Yeah. For a check-up and shots…" Lucas had never screamed so much in his life. Mick gestured towards the bathroom, “Len probably wrote it down in his little Lucas file.”

This file had everything. Lucas’s first word, when he took his first steps and other life events….including his different heights and weights over the last three years. Upon checking the file, Lisa grinned, “Perfect. As long as he wears a heavy coat, we could pull this off.”

“Pull what off?”

Lisa reached into her pocket and pulled out a newspaper clipping. “The Smiling Lady has made her way into Central City. It’s worth millions….problem is, it’s on a weight sensitive trigger.”

Mick nodded in understanding, those were tricky to get past. “So…how does Lucas fit into all this?”

“He’s going to be our counter-weight.”

“For a statue? He’s nowhere near heavy enough!”

“It’s a very small, partially broken and hollow statue, and with some extra weights, we could manage it….”

Mick glanced at the bedroom door, “And we’re not including Len because?”

Lisa rolled her eyes, “Because the lecture isn’t worth it. We’ll only need Lucas for one job. But that’s one job too many for Lenny. He doesn’t want the kid to have any part in this…”

“He has a point you know….”

“Well yeah….but I’ll be surprised if Lucas turns out to be anything else. Now, I’ll come round tomorrow and we’ll tell Len that we’re taking Lucas to see an evening film, so he can have a break.”

“When we’ll really be sneaking into some museum to steal a broken statue?”

“Exactly!”

“You have a plan right?”

Lisa smirked as she made her way out of the door, “Micky….of course I do. That’s the beauty of being raised with Lenny….organisation is contagious.”

…………………………………………………………………………………..

The next day, Mick couldn’t help but fidget nervously as he zipped up Lucas’s coat, carefully watched over by a suspicious partner.

“So….” Began Leonard, “….exactly what film did my sister say she was taking Lucas to see?”

Mick shrugged, “Don’t know. Don’t care. Come on Len, you know I’ve never given a cr-hoot about cartoons!”

Len frowned, “True….I just thought Lisa would’ve told me about this sooner…”

“Well you’ve been stressed….she probably just thought it would be a spur of the moment thing, so you can relax.”

Len nodded, “Okay….so why aren’t you staying? It’s not like you to skip out on spending some time together, away from the kid?”

Mick sighed, “Well…after last night, I thought it would be best if we gave each other a break. We have spent hours together, I’m surprised we didn’t explode earlier.”

There was a pause, until Len nodded in understanding. “That…makes sense. Maybe spending a little time away from each other will help. Last night’s…creative discussion was particularly bad.”

Mick smirked, “It wasn’t our worst….and I bet we’ll have worse ones in the future.” 

“True.”

The pair smiled at each other, until Lucas patted his Papa on the cheek. “Want goggles Papa!”

Len, who already had the goggles in his hand, chuckled and knelt down, grinning as Lucas practically grabbed them out of his hand and shoved them over his head. “T’ank you Daddy!

As Mick pulled on his own coat, there was a knock on the door. Lisa strode in and grinned at her brother and his little family. “Alright kiddo….” She chuckled, lifting Lucas into her arms, “…you ready to go?”

Lucas nodded eagerly, reaching over to his Dad in order to give him a goodbye hug and peck on the cheek. “Bye, bye Daddy!”

“I’ll see you later kid. Have a good time with Aunt Lisa and Papa, and be good!”

Lucas nodded and the three left. 

Once in the van and driving, Lisa turned around in her seat to grin at Lucas. “Okay sweetie. Wanna know a secret?”

Lucas beamed and nodded, as Lisa continued, “We’re not going to the pictures…”

“We’re not?”

“Nope….we’re gonna have some other fun. You want to be like Daddy and Papa?”

“Yeah!”

“Well, we’re going to get a nice statue from the museum and you’re going to help us okay?”

Lucas bounced up and down in his seat in excitement, “Gonna be like Daddy and Papa!”

As Lucas began to babble excitedly, Lisa turned back to Mick and grinned, “So here’s the plan….”

……………………………………………………………..

Mick grumbled as he pushed the cleaning trolley, tugging and pulling at the dark blue overalls that he was wearing. “Cleaners? This is the oldest trick in the book!”

“Which is why it’s so effective….”

Lisa peeked under the sheet, which was usually where the bleach and window spray was kept, “How you doing kid?”

Lucas beamed up at his Aunt, from where he was huddled up, and gave her a thumbs up. Lisa grinned, “Excellent. Now, keep quiet remember?”

Quickly replacing the sheet, Lisa and Mick headed into the museum, with Lisa taking the lead as she batted her eyelids at the two security guards. “Well hi there…” she cooed in her best southern accent, “…we gotta clean the Chinese antique section?”

The older guard frowned, “You’re not the normal cleaner? Where’s Sharon?”

Lisa sighed, “She’s not feeling too well, and so we got called in!”

The guards glanced at Mick in suspicion, until Lisa sighed impatiently and held out a pass card…a surprisingly believable one. Mick blames Hartley for this.

“Come on suga’, we got work to do and my shows ain’t gonna watch themselves!”

After scanning the card, the guards waved them through, although not without suspicion. Once into the Chinese antique section, Lisa was quick to move towards the key exhibit. 

“Okay…” she lifted up the sheet in order to let Lucas out, “…the cameras in this room are actually fake. Central City funding problems at their finest. We have ten seconds to replicate the weight after I lift up this statue, before the alarms go off. That’s the time limit set for cleaners who want to dust the stand. Did you weigh him morning?”

Mick nodded, “He’s around the same weight. Got a couple of weights in his pocket to make up the difference.”

“Excellent. Lift him up…”

Mick obeyed as Lisa cooed at her nephew. “Okay kiddo, remember, once you’re on there you have to remain very still okay?”

Lucas nodded, trying not to smile as he remained as serious as possible. 

Lisa grinned, moving towards the statue. “Ready?”

Mick nodded as Lisa lifted the statue away, moving away as Mick carefully placed the toddler on the stand. Lucas brought his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, practically holding his breath as he remained as still as he could be.

Both Mick and Lisa held their breath as the 10 seconds came to an end…nothing. Lisa sighed in relief, “And you doubted me!” she gently teased as she placed the statue onto the shelf of the cleaning trolley.

Mick frowned, crossing his arms. “I’m still doubting you. Do you expect Lucas to stay there now!?!”

“Calm down Micky…” Lisa scolded, opening a panel at the bottom of the stand, “…just gotta do a little re-wiring and then we can run home, and no-one will be any the wiser!”

Before she could begin, Mick interrupted. “There’s an emergency exit in this section right?”

“Far right corner, but it locks shut after five seconds of the alarm blar-where are you going?!”

Mick had grabbed the statue and was striding towards the fire exit. “I’ll stand here just in case the alarm goes off, so that I can quickly open the door…you grab Lucas and we’ll run.”

“But there are working cameras over there!”

Mic glanced down at the statue in his arms and then up at the cameras, “Fuck…”

Almost immediately, he shoved the door open and Lisa grabbed, a now giggling, Lucas as alarms began to wail all around them. Once outside, they were easily able to run towards the van.

Quickly buckling Lucas in and shoving their prize in Lucas’s carry-on bag, before covering their overalls with coats, the pair sped away. Mick’s grip tightened on the steering wheel as they heard sirens behind them. “Len is going to kill me…” he grunted.

“Don’t panic…”

He turned his attention to Lisa, who was shoving a blonde wig over her hair, “….Lucas, please take off your goggles and put your hood down.”

The toddler was quick to obey as Lisa gently encouraged Mick to pull over. An unarmed officer knocked on the window, “Sir, are you aware of how fast you were going?”

Lisa gently slapped Mick on the arm and frowned, “Honey, I told you! Mom ain’t gonna be happy if we get arrested on her birthday…” She smiled at the officer, who seemed to be unaware of the crime that had just occurred, “…sorry officer. We’re a bit late for visiting my mom. She’s 67 you know!”

The officer frowned, “That’s no excuse. I’m afraid-“

“Mummy!”

All eyes turned to the child in the back, who was squirming and clutching his belly, “Mummy, I weally gotta go!!”

“You can go at Grandma’s sweetie…”

“No! I gotta go now!” 

“Hold it…you’re a big boy now remember? We’ve got to talk to this officer first!”

“Don’t wanna be a big boy! Wanna go!”

The officer sighed, “I’ll give you a warning this time, but please drive a little slower next time.”

Mick nodded as the officer moved away, meaning that they could set off again…he didn’t breathe properly until they rounded the corner and couldn’t hear the sirens anymore. “That was too close…” he sighed wearily, as they pulled up in an alleyway relatively close to the apartment, “…way too close. You can go soon kiddo, we’re there now okay?”

Lucas beamed at his Papa, “I neva needed it!”

Lisa and Mick frowned, “So…” began Lisa, “…you pretended so we could get away?”

Lucas nodded eagerly, causing his Aunt and Papa to grin.

“That’s my clever boy!” cheered Mick. 

The three got out of the van and headed towards the apartment, with Lisa clutching the carry-on bag close to her. “My buyer is going to be very pleased with this…” she mused, nudging Mick (who was carrying Lucas) in the arm, “…half-half profit split?”

Mick grunted in agreement as they reached the apartment, shoving the door open with his shoulder. Once inside, they immediately saw Len lounging on the sofa, a book in his hands. “Good film?” he asked, eyes never leaving the pages.

Lisa carefully placed the bag on the ground and nodded, “Yeah. It was a bit silly, but it’s a kid’s film so you would expect that…”

Len just nodded, glancing at Mick as the large man placed Lucas on the ground, “And you Mick? What was your view on the film?”

Startled slightly, Mick just shrugged, “It was alright I guess….”

Len smirked, reaching into a bag by his side and pulling out a chocolate bar, “And what about you Lucas?” he asked as the toddler bounded over and clambered onto him, “Did you like the film?”

Lucas grinned, looking remarkingly like Len for a split second, “We didn’t go to the pictures Daddy…” stated the child, ignoring the shocked gasps behind him, “…we went to the mu-se-um!!” 

Len smirked at both Lisa and Mick, who had both gone very pale, “The one that was just robbed, according to the police scanners?”

“Yep!”

Lucas squealed as Len gave him the chocolate bar and pulled him into a hug, “Excellent work…now, why don’t you go get ready for bed?”

Lucas nodded, leaping off of his Dad and racing into his room. Once gone, Mick swore under his breath, “I can’t fuckin’ believe you had him spying on us!”

“Of course I did, you were acting weird. I’ll get the full details, but first…” he glared at the pair, “…what the hell were you thinking?! I told you I didn’t want him involved in any heists!”

Lisa sighed, “I know, but Lenny he really was a help!”

Mick nodded in agreement frantically, “Yeah! He helped us shake off the cops!”

Len frowned, “Cops?!”

Mick winced as Lisa glared at him, “Oops…”

Len shook his head, “How?!”

Lisa was quick to explain the situation and once finished, Len grinned. “Seems like he was your lucky charm…”

Both Lisa and Mick nodded as Len sighed, “You didn’t get caught, so I suppose that’s the main thing…just…don’t do it again. Not without telling me okay?”

The pair agreed, staying silent as Len went to go put Lucas to bed. Once the coast, Mick sighed in relief and collapsed onto the sofa. “How did we get away with that?!”

Lisa quickly grabbed the carry-on bag and headed towards the door, “I don’t know, but I’m not sticking around long enough to find out…or for him to change his mind.”

She sped out the door, only pausing to glance at Lucas’s bedroom door, “He really was our lucky charm tonight wasn’t he?”

Mick nodded, a proud look on his face. “Yeah…yeah he was.”


	8. First Day of School

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship (despite the lack of fiction), and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)

Len sighed wearily as he made his way back into the apartment, shouldering off his parka and hanging it up near the front door. The heist was unsuccessful thanks to The Flash and Len only just got away.

“Mick!?” he called out, “Lucky?”

Lucky was what they had been calling Lucas for a couple of years now, ever since his first heist, and whilst he hadn’t taken part in any other jobs, the nickname stuck.

No answer.

Len frowned, “Mick? Lucky?”

He strode into the living room, only to take a step back in shock. It was a mess….toys everywhere. A soft toy octopus was slumped on top of the sofa. A teddy and football wedged in between the cushions. A xylophone, lion teddy, marbles and a toy van in various places on the floor. Paper thrown everywhere and a broken glass lay shattered on the ground.

And on the sofa, giggling as he bounced up and down, was his five year-old son. Lucas was waving his wooden sword around in his right hand, whilst holding a cone of chocolate ice-cream in the other…which was dripping onto the white couch.

“LUCAS RORY-SNART, GET DOWN AT ONCE!”

With a startled yelp, Lucas landed on his bum, bouncing slightly as he settled on the sofa cushions.

Len waved his hand at the mess and scowled, “What is this?!”

Lucas glanced around, before focusing on his feet, choosing not to look his Daddy in the eye. Len’s frown deepened, “Nothing? No apology for making a mess, nothing?!”

Lucas simply shook his head causing Len to groan under his breath. “Where’s your Papa?”

The child pointed to the main bedroom silently, moving as if to get up.

“Stay there!” ordered Len, “There’s glass on the floor and I am not stitching your foot up!”

He stormed into the main bedroom and stopped at the sight of his partner lying on the bed, lighter in hand as he stared at the open flame.

“Mick!”

Mick snapped out of whatever trance he was in and frowned at the glare on Len’s face, “What pissed in your cereal?!”

Len scowled, storming over and ripping the lighter out of Mick’s hand, ignoring the angry protests. “Two hours. I was gone for two hours!”

Mick simply shrugged, “And?”

Angrily, Len pointed into the living room, silently ordering for Mick to look in. Pushing himself off of the bed, Mick sauntered over….only to swear at the mess…loudly. “Fuckin’ hell! Was there a fight?!”

“No….” hissed Len, “…you didn’t keep an eye on the five year old and now the living room is a mess!”

Mick glanced at Lucas, who was staring at the floor. “Lucas…why?!”

The child shrugged, “Wanted to…”

“Y-you don’t do this for Uncle Mark, James, Hartley or Aunt Lisa do you?”

Lucas shook his head, “Daddy says I have to be good with them….”

“So why weren’t you good for me?!”

“Daddy didn’t tell me too….”

Mick turned back to Len, who was clearly trying to keep calm and not explode. The arsonist sighed, “I’ll clean it up?”

Len nodded, “Yes you will…Lucas, once Papa’s finished sweeping up that glass, you are to go to you room and stay there!”

“B-but-“

“No! You are grounded!”

“Daddy!”

Len turned swiftly on his heel, “I don’t want to hear anything except an apology. I’m going to fetch your video games and maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll get them back when you apologise and behave.”

“Daddy! I’m sorry!” sobbed the five year old, but Len continued.

Lucas continued to sob as his Daddy came out of his room, video games in hand. Mick sighed as Len slammed their bedroom door shut, “Sorry kiddo….but I don’t think Daddy’s in the best of moods right now. He’ll calm down by tomorrow…and then, if you apologise again, he might give you back the games. Okay?”

Lucas nodded tearily, smiling as Mick picked up the toy lion and made it talk to him.

……………………………………………

Later on that evening, after everything was cleared up, Mick cautiously tiptoed into the main bedroom to find Len sat up against the headboard, laptop on his knees. Mick cleared his throat, “Soooo….Lucky’s in bed. The living room is clean….thank god the couch was made of that weird pleather stuff, so it was easy to wipe off the ice-cream.”

Len shrugged non-committedly and simply hummed, eyes still firmly focused on the laptop screen. Mick frowned at this, climbing onto the bed next to his partner and peering at the screen, “Local schools?” He glanced at Len, “You’re going to send him to school?”

“He needs this…” muttered Len, “…we need this. He has too much energy for us and we can’t keep an eye on him all the time!”

“Yeah…but we can’t send him in as Lucas Rory-Snart. He’ll be a target and you know it…”

Len smirked, “I already have Hartley working on a false identity….and some false medical records. After all, we have to have a legitimate excuse as to why he’s starting late.”

Mick sighed, turning his attention to the screens once again. “Who’s going to tell him? Lucky I mean…you know he’s never been too sold on the idea of school.”

“He just doesn’t like other children….he barely tolerates Axel.”

“…And school is meant to help him?”

Len nodded, closing the laptop down and moving it to the bedside table. “He needs to socialise with people who aren’t criminals, remember? I want him to have the choice of a normal life!”

Mick remained silent at this, his mind turning to thoughts of his son growing up to be a law-abiding citizen….he shuddered. How boring.

“It’ll have to be close by…” mused Len, “…just in case of an emergency.”

Rolling his eyes slightly, Mick shuffled down the bed and closed his eyes, ignoring the mutters and grumbling of his partner. Len could deal with this.

……………………………………………………………………………………

“Lucky…Luuuuucccckkkkyyyy….LUCKY!”

Lucas was startled awake, only to yelp when he saw his Uncle James’s face directly above him. The Trickster chuckled, “Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey! School today!”

The five year old groaned and buried his face into his pillow, “No.”

“You gotta get up kiddo, or Snart will be in here quicker than you can call for The Flash!”

Nothing.

James sighed, “Alright, I guess I’ll just have to go get-“

“Is he still not up?!” interrupted Len as he strode into the room, a plate of toast in his hand, “Lucas, we’ve talked about this! You need to go to school, you can’t stay here forever!”

“Yes I can…” came the muffled answer.

“Lucas….”

“NO!”

Len rolled his eyes and placed the plate on Lucas’s bedside table, “If you’re not up in five minutes then I will drag you to school and you can spend the day in your pyjamas!”

“Don’t wanna go to school!”

Before Len could answer, James held up his hand and grinned, “I’ll talk to him. You go get your secret identity sorted specky four eyes.”

Len huffed in annoyance, but left anyway, casting one last fleeting glance at the bundle on the bed. Once he was out of earshot, James leant in close and began to whisper, “Come on Lucky….you’ll never see my surprise if you don’t go to school…”

This immediately got Lucas’s attention, as he shoved the duvet off of him, “Surprise?!”

James grinned, “Yep…I left it at your school, so you’ve gotta go or you’ll miss it!”

Lucas leapt out of bed and ran towards his box of clothes, “What should I look for?!”

“The clown doll…now hurry up kiddo, or Lenny will flip out!”

Lucas grinned, rummaging in the box until he pulled out some jeans and his Jedi t-shirt. It was a simple black shirt, with huge yellow lettering on it that read ‘Jedi in Training’. Quickly, Lucas got changed and rushed into the living room, grabbing his toast as he went.

Once breakfast was finished, Len placed his glasses on his face and sighed. Mick smirked at this, “Finding this difficult are we?”

Len groaned, “He can’t be old enough to go to school already! It was only yesterday we were taking him home as a baby!”

“It really wasn’t Lenny.”

“I realise that….” Len sighed and straightened out his jacket, “….Lucas! Come on kid! We need to get going!”

Lucas sped towards him, grabbing his coat and bag along the way. “Coming Daddy!”

…………………………………………………………….

As they strode towards the school, Len made sure to quiz his son on his new identity. “Now, do you remember what your name is?”

Lucas sighed, “Lucas Scofield-Burrows. Son of Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows….” He frowned and glanced up at his Dad, “….wasn’t that the identity you guys used to pretend to be brothers?”

“Yes, but that was a long time ago sweetie….and in a completely different state. Now what are our jobs?”

Lucas thought for a second before answering, “You’re…an engineer?”

Len nodded, “A structural engineer, yes. What about Papa?”

“He’s a fireman!”

“Excellent….they shouldn’t ask you anything else.”

The pair continued until reaching the school doors, where they were led towards Principal Evan’s office. Principal Hayley Evans was a young lady, in her late 30’s, with brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a smart, but plain suit and reading glasses that perched at the end of her nose.

“Aah, Mister Scofield I presume?” She greeted, getting up from her desk and moving around it in order to shake Len’s hand.

Len beamed at the lady, already falling into his alter ego. “Oh please, call me Michael…”

Principal Evans blushed slightly and nodded, “Michael then. And this handsome young man must be Lucas?”

She knelt down to shake hands with the five year old, only for Lucas to bury his face into his Dad’s leg and refuse to look at her. Len gently patted him on the head and shrugged at Principal Evans, “He’s a little nervous….he hasn’t really spent much time away from me or his Papa.”

The Principal nodded in understanding, straightening back up. “Of course. Now, your son is in room 4B…I’ll take you there.”

The three strode down the corridor towards the common room. Once outside, Principal Evans gave the pair some privacy. Len knelt down and pulled his son into a hug, “Be good Lucky…Your Papa will be here at half three to pick you up alright?”

Lucas nodded tearily, furiously refusing to let go of his Dad as Len tried to pull away. 

“Lucky….come on Lucky, let go!”

“No!”

“Lucky…”

Lucas shook his head, “Don’t go…stay!”

“Oh, I can’t kiddo!”

Lucas pulled away and wiped his runny nose with the sleeve of his coat, sniffing as his Dad stood up and waved goodbye. “I’ll see you later Lucky….be good okay?”

Lucas remained silent as his Dad moved down the corridor and out the doors. Once gone, Principal Evans opened the door to the classroom and gently encouraged the child to enter the room. Taking a deep breath, Lucas crept in….this was it.

……………………………………………………………………

It had been one hour, and Lucas already hated it here. His homeroom teacher was called Miss Kate Jameson….and she was the most annoying person Lucas had ever met. Her shrill voice grated on his nerves….which was why he was now hiding in the quiet corner.

The quiet corner had a pile of soft toys in it…including a clown. Ignoring the excited shrieks and screams of his classmates, Lucas made his way over to the toy and picked it up. 

As soon as he did, the clown’s eyes glowed red and a menacing voice echoed throughout the speakers.

“Hello kiddy-winks….”

Lucas grinned at the familiar voice and the way that the rest of his class all flinched.

“…it’s so nice to see so many smiling faces in this bonny little place...however…I’m afraid I’ve been a tad bored lately. So the circus has come to town!”

The clown in Lucas’s hand began to shake, causing the child to drop it in shock and yelp in surprise. At Lucas’s yell, Miss Jameson rushed over and dragged him away from the clown. “Everyone out of the classroom!” she yelled, ushering everyone away.

The clown then began to smoke, setting off the fire alarms and encouraging everyone else to leave the school in a hurry….with the Principal calling the police as she left.

………………………………………………

Mick frowned as he rushed towards the school, glasses on his face and baseball cap giving him an air of mystery. He and Leonard had heard, over the police scanner that Lucas’s school had been the victim of a probable Trickster attack….Mick had never ran so fast in his entire life.

Fire engines and police vehicles had surrounded the school, so Mick snuck into the crowd and gently elbowed his way to the front, being careful to keep his head down. He could see Lucas in a small group in the corner of the courtyard. His son was clearly nonplussed by the whole situation, especially in comparison to the rest of the classmates, who were bawling their eyes out.

Cautiously, he watched as the Flash shot out of the school, a headless clown doll in his hands. “It exploded glitter…” he announced to the crowd, “…nothing dangerously explosive, but maybe the kids should have the rest of the day off anyway?”

The school kids in the yard cheered, grinning as they were escorted out of the yard by police officers. Mick took a deep breath in relief when he saw Lucas rushing up to him, “You alright kiddo?”

Lucas nodded eagerly, grabbing a hold of his Papa’s hand. “Yep! I went to school….I don’t have to go again now!”

Mick chuckled, “It’s not a one day thing kiddo. You’ll be back here tomorrow.”

“Papa!”

“No arguments Lucky!”

Lucas scowled as they made their way home, jumping in every puddle he could find. Upon entering their flat, they found Len sitting on the sofa. “So….” He began, “…care to tell me what today’s little….issue was?”

Lucas shrugged, remaining silent. 

Len sighed at this, “Why don’t I tell you a story?”

Lucas beamed and nodded eagerly and once he was on Leonard’s knee, Len continued, holding his son close to him. “It’s the story of a naughty trickster who snuck into a school and planted a nasty doll in it. Now whilst this doll only exploded glitter and wasn’t dangerous at all, it scared a lot of people, which meant that the trickster got in trouble…but you know who’s gonna get in more trouble?”

Knowing the direction this story was taking, Lucas attempted to get off his Dad’s knee…only to be held back. Making sure that his son was paying attention, Len carried on. “The one who’s going to be in more trouble…is the small child who knew that the trickster was planning something…and remained quiet just so he didn’t have to spend a whole day in school!”

Lucas whined, “I didn’t know he was going to do that!”

“But you knew he was going to do something! And don’t bother lying because James told me everything….under duress of course.”

Len sighed as his son refused to look him in the eye, “Lucky….what would you have done if the Flash had seen Mick and recognised him?”

Silence.

“Now James should know better….but you need to learn that you can’t just start chaos, or encourage it, when you don’t want to do something!”

“I’m sorry!”

Len sighed as Lucas buried his head in his chest and began to sob, “I know kiddo….but you’re still grounded.”

“So…no school?”

“Yes to school…”

“Awwwww…..”


	9. Pick A Pocket Or Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship (despite the lack of fiction), and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)

“So…” began Mick, as they strode down the block towards Lucas’s school, “…what d’ya reckon the kid did this time?”

After Lucas had moved up to first grade, the complaints from the school seemed never ending. Now to Mick, this was funny…Len found it less so.

Pushing his glasses up his nose, Len groaned. “I don’t think I want to know. First it was climbing the goal posts on world book day-“

“-to be fair, he was dressed as Peter Pan. He probably just wanted to fly?”

“Well next time, he can go as the hungry caterpillar or something….and there was the time he punched that kid in the face, busting his nose!”

Mick smirked, “That kid used a homophobic slur remember? Lucky only got three days suspension, and even you agreed that it was a righteous punch!”

“….True. However, he’s also set a fire in his science class…that was only a month ago!”

Grinning at the memory, Mick shrugged. “At least it was in the sink….easy to put out that way.”

Len span around on his heel and pointed angrily at his partner, “I blame that one on you!”

“Fair enough….”

A couple of minutes later, the pair made their way into the school, where Principal Evans was waiting for them, a frantic look on her face. “Mister Scofield! Mister Burrows! Thank goodness you’re here!”

Len frowned at this, his eyes scanning the corridor for his son. “What’s he done now?”

“Oh no….” gasped Principal Evans, shaking her head, “….nothing….well, not unless you count not showing up in his class after afternoon break.”

“What!?!” “What!?!” exclaimed Mick and Len at the same time.

“We’ve looked everywhere!” exclaimed the Principal, “His teacher said he was having a bit of trouble with a boy in his class…we believe that Lucas may have snuck out the gates when the playground monitors weren’t looking…”

“And what if he was taken!” yelled Mick, “What if some creep lured him out of the yard and dragged him into some white van!”

Principal Evans seemed very distressed at this, rubbing her hands together as she tried to remain calm. “We considered that Mister Burrows…the police were called and the Captain has officers looking for him. However, our security cameras haven’t picked up any suspicious activity.”

Missing how the worried parents grew pale, Principal Evans turned her back on the pair. “I’ve asked the officers to call the school immediately if…when they find him.”

Len sighed, tugging on Mick’s arms. “Well if you don’t mind, we’ll try and find him ourselves. We know all of his hiding spots….”

“They’ll be no need for that….” Interrupted a stern voice at the end of the corridor.

The group span around to see a police officer standing there….a guilty looking Lucas at his side, hands shoved into his parka coat pockets.

“LUCAS!” “LUCAS!” cried out Len and Mick in relief, being careful not to look the officer in the eyes as they rushed towards their son, Len getting there a split second before his partner and scooping the child up into his arms.

“Don’t you ever do that again…” muttered Len into his son’s neck, his grip tightening around him, “…where the hell were you?!”

The officer cleared his throat, “We spotted him sitting on a bench in the town centre…”

“That’s ten blocks away!” gasped the principal, moving forwards until she was right next to Len and Lucas, “Were you really that upset by young Tommy in your class? Your teacher mentioned that he had said some very hurtful things before break?”

Len felt his son tense in his arms as the child nodded against his shoulder. Principal Evans sighed, “That’s no excuse for worrying everyone….but given that you are clearly upset by whatever Tommy said, I am willing to reduce your punishment down to a detention after school on Friday…would that be okay?” she asked Len and Mick.

Len nodded, “Of course. Now….” He bounced Lucas up and down, “…would you mind if we took him home? Today has been….stressful.”

Principal Evans nodded, a sympathetic smile on her face. “Of course. I cannot apologise enough for what happened!”

Len simply shook his head, “He’s safe….but maybe make sure the gates are shut at play so the children don’t get out?”

Without waiting for an answer, Len turned on his heel and headed towards the exit, Mick following on close behind. Once off of school property, Len placed his son on the ground and knelt in front of him. “The truth….now.” he ordered sternly.

Lucas glanced away, an unhappy frown on his face. “Dunno what you mean….” He muttered.

Len rolled his eyes, “The last time someone upset you, you broke their nose….am I really going to believe that on this occasion you got upset?”

Lucas shrugged, “Maybe?”

“Why did you really leave the school?”

Lucas glanced up and down the street before reaching into his pockets and pulling out over ten wallets. “You and Papa were fighting this morning…” he muttered as both Len and Mick quickly took the wallets and stared at them, “…You said that it was too expensive…the new flat?”

Len and Mick glanced at each other as they shoved the wallets into their own pockets. Recently, the couple had been thinking about buying their own flat…however, all the ones that they had considered were too exposed to police routes and patrols. 

Continuing on to their current safe-house, Len lifted Lucas into his arms and smiled softly at him, “Thank you for thinking of us Lucky, but trust me when I say, we’re not struggling for money. Even of the flat is a bit expensive, we would have managed…” he then began to frown, “…which means that I never want to hear about you leaving the school grounds ever again! Do you know how much you scared us?!”

Lucas lowered his head in guilt, hands clutching tightly to his Dad’s collar, “I’m sorry….but I’m alright!

“And if someone decided to try and take you?”

“I would’ve kicked him in the bollocks!”

Len glared at Mick, who had begun to laugh, before using one hand to open the front door and making his way into the safe-house. After placing his son on the ground, Len sighed wearily. “Just…don’t do it again.”

Lucas nodded frantically, rushing off towards his room before Len could even think about continuing. Len groaned, pulling out the wallets his son had stolen and placing them on the table. Once Mick had added the ones he’d pocketed, there was a small pile on the table.

“From the look of some of these…” mused Len, “…our little thief toured the business district for a while.”

Mick grunted in agreement, removing the dollar bills and counting. “Yeah…the two, one-hundred dollar bills, that I’ve already found definitely agrees.”

Len’s eyes widened slightly in shock, “You’re only three wallets in!”

“Yep…”

Quickly, Len seated himself at the table and began to count. Once they reached the last wallet, the pair had found over a grand between them. Mick chuckled, “You definitely taught him well Lenny! Looks like those pickpocketing tips worked!”

He glanced up at his partner, only to frown at the slightly distressed look on Len’s face. “What’s wrong wit’ you?”

Len sighed, “We didn’t even give him a chance did we? All this talk of letting him choose his own path by taking him to school….what was the point?!”

Mick frowned, “What d’ya mean?”

“I taught him how to steal!” yelled Len, “I didn’t ask, I just assumed! What if he feels like he doesn’t have a choice, except to follow in our footsteps?!”

He slumped onto the table and sighed, “He’s not getting a choice…just like my Dad never gave me a choice.”

Before Mick could argue with that, there was a small voice from the doorway. “I had a choice…”

The pair glanced over to see Lucas standing there, an Optimus Prime figure in his hands. The six year old strode over and climbed onto his Dad’s lap, “I had a choice….” Began Lucas, “…and I wanna be like you and Papa! It was funny watching some of the rich people panic when they couldn’t find their wallets…and it felt awesome afterwards! Like when Papa lets me have another glass of coke-oops!”

Deciding to ignore Mick’s guilty look (for the time being), Len smiled at his son. “That’s called adrenaline kid.”

“Adrena-what?”

“Never mind…”

Len glanced at the small stack of dollar bills, “You’ve done well today…I am proud of you, remember that…but you can’t do this again, not without supervision.”

Lucas frowned for a moment, before grinning slyly. “You’ll have to take me on heists then…”

“Or we can just forbid you from doing it again.”

Lucas scoffed, “I would do it anyway.”

Mick chuckled at this, “He’s got ya there Lenny.”

Len rolled his eyes at his partner, “I can see I’m outnumbered here…fine, you can take part in heists, but only the low risk ones okay?”

Lucas nodded eagerly, practically shaking with excitement, “Yeah! When can I start?!”

“After your grounding is over…”

“Grounding?!”

“You left the school, scared us and the cops got involved…you can bet you’re grounded!”

Lucas twisted around to pout at Mick, “Papa!”

“No way kiddo. I’m not getting involved…”

“B-but-“

Len smirked, “Two weeks, and then you might get to come on a heist. Anymore bad behaviour and the grounding increases, understood?”

Lucas pouted for a while, before nodding reluctantly. “Fine…will I get a gun?”

“Not a chance in hell.”

“Dammit…”

“Language!” “Language!”


	10. Going Rogue AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship (despite the lack of fiction), and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)
> 
> With this oneshot, The Flash and The Rogues were already an established part of Central City, and the first two seasons will be spread out over a longer period of time.

Captain Joe West and Barry Allen strode through the corridors of the CCPD, having just returned from a recent, attempted robbery scene just outside of the city. Four men had tried to steal the Kahndaq Dynasty diamond, which was making its way to the Central City museum for display.

The Flash had managed to stop them, but a security guard had still been shot, causing the Flash to speed the man to the hospital….enabling the criminals to get away. 

Barry sighed, “I swear Joe, when I knocked that mask off of one of the robbers it was Leonard Snart.”

Joe glanced at the report in his hands, “It says the doors of the van were frozen off…has he got his cold gun back?!”

“Impossible. I practically shattered it the last time we fought….the heat gun as well.”

“Speaking of which, you didn’t happen to see Mick Rory there? Or any of the others in Snart’s gang?”

Barry shook his head, “The others didn’t match Rory’s body type…no females, and none of Jesse’s flair, Mardon’s powers or Rathaway’s….music. I think these were just random, hired criminals.”

“Strange. Snart hasn’t used hired criminals for years now.”

Barry shrugged, “I don’t understand it either…but we know he’ll strike again. He won’t give up…”

Joe nodded in agreement, “I’ll put officers on stake out around the museum…”

Before he could leave, a thought suddenly occurred to Barry and he grabbed his adoptive father’s arm. “Tell them…tell them to look out for a father and his son.”

“What?!”

“Snart…he may use his son as a way to throw the police off of his trail. They’ll be looking for a single male, not a parent-child pairing.”

“…Snart has a kid?!”

“….I didn’t tell you?”

“No!”

“…Oops.”

………………………………………………………………

Lucas rolled his eyes as the hired thugs paced the warehouse, all scowling and muttering about the Flash.”

“We’d never have trouble like that in Star City…”

“I’ve heard that he’s a top secret army experiment.”

“Bullshit! It’s an alien….”

“People say he looks human!”

“So does Superman!”

Lucas, who had been fiddling with a Thor toy hammer, glanced over at his Dad….whose eyes had barely left the laptop screen. He and Papa were having one of their tri-monthly spats, and Papa hadn’t been seen since. The other members of the gang had all gone their own paths for a while…hence the hired thugs.

Len sighed, “When I was your age Lucky, my grandfather used to take my sister and me to this diner, the Motorcar. Food was….terrible, but the view was great, right across from the Central City precinct. We should go there again soon…listen to their radio, learn their response times…” he glanced at his son, “…Test time. Stop swinging that hammer.”

Lucas ignored him, but grinned anyway, causing Len to sigh. “How many banks are there and how quickly can the police respond.”

“Forty banks in Central City, all within sixty seconds of police response.”

“So why did we go for the van today?”

“Once the armoured car called 911, you had…185 seconds before the police could get there?”

“182, but correct…much better than sixty seconds…however, that was all before the Flash.” Len smirked, “Now it’s more challenging. What went wrong today Lucky?”

“Aside from the Flash?”

“Yes…”

Lucas pointed at one of the thugs, “He lost his cool and broke the rules!”

“Correct. We don’t need the heat.”

The thug scowled, “The heat? What the hell do you think the Flash is Snart? Right, screw this and screw you!”

Before Len could even think of replying, the thug yelled in pain as a toy hammer hit him on the side of the head. The man spun around, drawing his gun and striking Lucas (who had been staring at him in shock) across the face. “Bastard!”

Milliseconds later, he fell to the ground…dead. A bullet hole in the side of his head. Len holstered his pistol and growled at the corpse. “Don’t touch my son….are you alright Lucky?”

The eight year old had blood dripping down from his lip, which was beginning to swell. “Ow…” Lucas whimpered, “….it hurts!”

Len beckoned him over and examined his face, wincing in sympathy. “That’ll need stitches…go get a cold compress and we’ll go to Doctor Brett. He’ll stitch you up.”

After Lucas scurried off, tears pooling in his eyes, Len turned his attention back to the rest of the thugs. “The Flash is just an ordinary man and ordinary men can be beat.”

…………………………………………………………………..

Doctor Brett sighed as he finished off the last stitch, “Well done kiddo….your first scar…..” He turned to a clearly worried Len, “…only six stitches, but facial wounds always bleed like a bit-female dog. Whoever did this didn’t put his whole strength behind this hit….not that it mattered in the end. I assume the man is dead?”

Len nodded, his eyes still focused on the stitching on his son’s face, “Naturally…” he drawled, “…what will I need to do now, in terms of keeping the pain down and infection away?”

Doctor Brett reached into a nearby cupboard and pulled out a tube of cream, handing them over to Leonard. “This’ll help prevent infection. I’ve already given him to some painkillers, but I’ll give you some more just in case. Make sure those stitches don’t get wet for about twenty four hours, and then when he’s showering, don’t let the wound get soaked. You can come back in about five days and I’ll see if it’s okay to remove them.”

Leonard nodded, beckoning for Lucas to follow him. “Of course. How much do I owe you?”

Brett waved his hand, “I’ll bill you after the five days….how’s that volatile partner of yours then?”

Leonard winced slightly before answering, “We got into a bit of a…fight the other week. He took off.”

“Ah…He’ll be back.”

Len shrugged, “I know…” he cleared his throat, “….come on Lucky. Leave it alone or it’ll never heal!”

Lucas, who had been probing the top of his wound with his tongue, instantly sucked it back into his mouth before turning to the Doctor, “T’ank you…” he slurred, his bottom lip numb from the anaesthetic .

Brett grinned and ruffled Lucas’s hair, “No worries kiddo. Just try to avoid guns from now on.”

Lucas nodded and followed his Dad out of the door. After leaving the clinic, Lucas grabbed a hold of his Dad’s hand, “We goin’ ho’e?” he slurred.

Len shook his head, “I need to see a contact….how are you feeling? I can see the contact later if you’re in pain?”

“I’ okay Daddy….” 

Len scanned his son, looking for any signs of lying….only to find none. He nodded in agreement and the pair continued, walking into the warehouse district. After around 15 minutes, Len knocked on the door of a warehouse, waiting patiently until an older man answered.

“Ah Snart….” Crooned the man, glancing down at Lucas, “….and mini Snart. How can I help you this fine afternoon?”

Len smirked, “I need some new weaponry…something that’ll give me a certain edge over my opponents.”

The man grinned at this, moving aside to let the pair in. “Then you are in luck….I have a new batch just in!”

Len and Lucas walked around the warehouse, their eyes scanning the many boxes and chests

“I assume you want state of the art Snart…” queried the man, “…Well, I bring you state of the art, my good sir!”

Lucas was instantly drawn to a gun that seemed to have a small gas canister attached, “What’s this?”

“Ah, your kid has a good eye Snart. It may not look like much but never judge a book by its cover, you know? This is the new and improved heat gun your…partner likes to use. Fires highly concentrated, combustible liquid fuel that ignites on contact with the air.”

Len rolled his eyes, “That’s not my style, I don't need to heat things up…..” he ran his fingers over a nearby gun, “….I need to slow them down.”

Lucas hopped onto the table and watched as the other man beamed and scurried over, “That's the one, then. You were drawn right to it! Stolen from STAR Labs after the incident, and with nothing but a skeleton security crew to guard the tech inside…consider it the cold gun two-point-oh. Twice as powerful, three times the control…”

“Will the glasses that came with my old gun work with this…or should I use these?” Len put the glasses on and raised the gun, as the older man babbled on. 

“Best to take these ones. The glare is so much stronger with this gun…you’ll see.”

Lucas winced slightly at this…very poor choice of words.

Len smirked, “Who else knows you took this?”

“Just us three!”

“No, just us two….sorry pal”

Spinning around on his heel, Len aimed the gun and fired, sending an icy blast into the man’s heart, killing him instantly. Once done, Len placed the gun back into the box and grinned at his son. “I think this was a very successful trip, don’t you?”

Lucas tore his eyes away from the frozen corpse and nodded silently, sliding off of the table as Len headed towards the door. Before running after his Dad, Lucas grabbed the box containing the heat gun and followed.

Len raised an eyebrow when he saw this, “What are you doing?”

“It’s for Papa!” exclaimed Lucas, beaming up at his Dad, “To make him come back!”

Len sighed at this, “I don’t think a new gun is going to do the trick…”

“It will if you give it to him…and say sorry.” Before Len could protest, Lucas interrupted, “If you apologise, then Papa will come back, he always does!”

Upon seeing the expectant and hopeful look on his son’s face, Len simply nodded. “Okay kiddo…but how about a trip to the museum first?”

………………………………………………………………………

Lucas groaned under his breath as the museum guide blabbered on about the history of Central City….this was not the exciting trip that he’d imagined.

“It wasn't until 1852, when the transcontinental railroad laid their tracks through this thriving cattle town, that we became officially incorporated. That same year, the worst flood this area's ever seen hit. But from that disaster rose Central City's greatest hero, cattle rancher Bobby ‘Bovine’ McFeely. Bovine McFeely saved 17 cows from the great flood….”

Lucas tuned her out, rolling his eyes wearily

“Hey, kid….” He glanced up at his Dad, who was smirking at him, “….Gum?”

Lucas took some and beamed up at his Dad, shuffling closer as the group moved on.

“And now, for the exhibit I'm sure you've all come here to see, the historic Kahndaq dynasty diamond….Be careful. Get too close and you'll set off the proximity alarms.”

Lucas and Len smirked at each other. “Wouldn't want to do that…” whispered Len, gently pulling his son away.

………………………………………….

Detective Joe West listened as the museum curator frantically explained the situation, “You said to call if there was anything suspicious? This guy and his kid went through the tour twice….Nobody does that, especially with kids!”

The curator pointed down to the museum hallway, where the Detective could clearly see Leonard Snart moving through the crowds, a small child by his side. Slowly the pair turned around, and Snart glanced up at the upper level where Joe was watching. Upon seeing the Detective, Leonard took a hold of his son’s hand and pulled him towards the museum exit.

Upon seeing the stitches on the kid’s face, Joe sighed, lifting up his radio “This is Detective West. I have a visual on Leonard Snart and son at the museum. Requesting immediate back up.”

……………………………………………………………………………………

Leonard and Lucas sped through the streets, Lucas practically jogging to keep up with his Dad. “Wait! I can’t keep up!”

Without even pausing, Leonard scooped his son up with one arm and scurried over the road, narrowly avoiding being hit by a taxi. Glancing over his Dad’s shoulder, Lucas could see the Detective rushing to catch up with them, drawing his gun as he crossed the road.

“Snart!”

Lucas was placed on the ground as sirens quickly approached. His Dad placed the special glasses on his face and aimed his gun at the road in front of the cruisers. Upon pulling the trigger, a thin layer of ice covered the road, sending the police car skidding and sliding down the road, almost hitting the Detective as it went.

“Come on….” Whispered Len, pulling Lucas into a nearby theatre building with one hand, his gun in the other.

The pair rushed inside, speeding up the stairs and waiting behind a column for the Detective to show up. Not even two minutes later, the Detective appeared, his gun at the ready….but he wasn’t quick enough.

Len aimed and pulled the trigger, sending an icy blast straight at the man….only to be intercepted by a red blur.

“You got him!” cheered Lucas, watching as the Flash struggled to get him, “You got him!”

Len fired again, only for the Flash to speed away. Glancing up at the people surrounding them, Len smirked, “Time for a test run….Let's see how fast you are.”

Lucas watched in amazement as his Dad fired at citizen after citizen, only for the Scarlet Speedster to rush them away to safety, his fingers clutching tightly to his Dad’s coat…just in case the Flash decided to try a different tactic.

It was clear that the hero was struggling…which probably explained what happened next. A security guard came rushing up a nearby aisle, and before the Flash could react, the cold gun was fired once again….only to hit its target this time.

“NO!” They heard the Flash cry out.

“Lucas….come on.” Ordered Len, pulling his son away from the gruesome sight, “We’ll go out the back….” 

………………………………

After taking a few secret alleyways to the meeting place, Lucas and Len entered the warehouse, where the rest of the hired thugs surrounded them.

“So what are we doing now?” asked one of the thugs impatiently

Len smirked, “We’re going back”

“What?!”

They headed further into the warehouse as Len sighed and rolled his eyes. “Do you understand? We're going back tonight.”

“Back where?”

“To the museum. That diamond isn't going to steal itself.”

Lucas heard the other thug swear under his breath before answering, “Super gun freeze your brain, Snart? The museum's gonna be crawling with police by now….and the Flash-“

Len raised his car up in the air, “This can stop the Flash. It hurt him, and I know his real weakness.So we go….unless you want out…..”

There was the sudden click of a gun, and Lucas yelped as his Dad pulled him in front of him, shielding his son from the danger.

“We both want out…alive!”

Lucas could tell that his Dad was pissed, by the death grip he had on his shoulder. “So you thought ahead and made a plan….” Drawled the criminal, “Least I taught you something…So what are you waiting for? Shoot me.”

There was a silent pause. Nobody moved and they barely breathed in suspense. Len sighed, “You better put a bullet in my brain right now, because if you don't, if I ever see either one of you again…” 

“You don't get it, do you?” exclaimed the thug, “The Flash is out there, and Central City ain't your playground anymore.”

Len remained silent at this, and the thugs took advantage of this, running out of the warehouse and into the streets. Once he was sure that they were gone, Len released his death grip on Lucas’s shoulder and glanced at his gun, “Sure, it is….”

Lucas grinned at this, “So….no more thugs? Because those guys were dicks!”

“…We really need to limit the time you spend with Mark. He’s clearly not a good influence….”

………………………………………………………..

“You are not coming with me.”

Lucas scowled, “Yes, I am….you can’t keep me locked up here on the biggest heist ever!”

Len shook his head, “You’re not coming. Not with the Flash running around…I’ll grab the diamond and then I’ll come and pick you up so we can meet your Papa in whatever motel he’s hidden in this time.”

“No.”

“Lucas Rory-Snart-“

“No!” Lucas yelled, “What if the police catch you? I won’t know and then I-I….I’ll starve to death in this warehouse!”

“So dramatic. I’ve already sent a message to Mick. If I’m not in our meeting place by a certain time, he’ll come and pick you up.”

“I don’t care, I’m coming!”

The pair stared at each other for a few minutes, before Len shook his head and sighed. “Fine….but put your parka and goggles on. If you’re going to do this, then nobody is allowed to see your face, okay?”

“B-but, back at the museum and the theatre-“

“I’ll get Hartley to ease those tapes….now, do you want to come or not?”

Lucas nodded eagerly before rushing upstairs to grab his parka and goggles.

It was time.

…………………………………………

As the glass from the museum doors froze and shattered, Lucas couldn’t help but grin. The pair stepped into the museum, the frozen glass cracking underneath their feet as a security guard appeared in front of them and aimed his gun.

“Freeze!”

Len smirked at the man, his finger poised on the trigger of the cold gun, “You want to end up like that door?”

Clearly he did not, as the guard ran towards the door. Lucas smirked at this, “I think he just wet himself….”

“That’s for the cleaners to worry about…”

The pair headed up the stairs, towards the diamond. Standing just outside the range of the proximity alarm, Lucas couldn’t help but stare….this was it.

“Hi there….” Crooned Len, who then turned to his son, “…now, let’s see if you remember how to disable proximity alarms.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to freeze the glass and just grab it?”

“You need to learn these skills….besides, why make a mess of everything? Come on now, time is ticking….”

…………………………………………….

Lucas kept a tight hold of the diamond in his parka pocket, as he and his Dad sped towards the train station.

“The police and our…speedy friend will find us soon.” Muttered Len, “You need to get on that train.”

“What about you?!”

“I’m going to distract the cops, I’ll be with you shortly…”

Hearing the sirens in the distance, Lucas nodded and ran on towards the stationary train, hopping on and watching as his Dad took cover behind a pillar. Just as the Detective appeared on the platform, Len caught him unawares and aimed, only to be taken by surprise as a bullet hit the pillar near his head.

The train rumbled as it prepared to set off. Lucas tensed, readying himself to jump off and help his Dad…however, there was no need. As the train sped up, Len managed to grab hold of a metal handle and pull himself on board. “Come on…” he chuckled, pulling his hood up, “…let’s find our seats.”

Suddenly, there was a shattering of glass and a blur of red as the Flash appeared in front of them. “There’s nowhere to run!”

Len smirked, pulling Len close to him and aiming his cold gun at the hero. “Your mom know you’re out past your bedtime?”

“If you wanted to get away, you should’ve taken something faster than a train!”

Len grinned, “That’s if I wanted to get away….I’ve seen your weakness at the armoured car, then at the theatre. See, while you’re busy saving everybody, we’ll be saving ourselves.”

Lucas gasped as his Dad grabbed the back of his parka and pushed him towards the train door, whilst firing his gun at the train floor, freezing the gears of the wheels. Prying the doors open, Len lifted his son up into his arms. Seeing the shocked look on the Flash’s face, Lucas couldn’t help but smirk, “Good luck with that!”

Len leapt out, turning onto his back in order to protect his son as they hit the ground.

“Dad!” cried out Lucas as the older man grunted in pain, “Dad, are you okay?!”

Pushing the hood of the parka down, Len gently brushed his son’s hair and smiled. “Nothing a good rest won’t fix…are you?”

Before Lucas could answer, the screams of people could be heard, causing them to spin around. The train was up, off of the tracks, twisting in mid-air as a red blur zipped in and out, passengers appearing by the side of the tracks. Quickly, the pair made their way up by the tracks until the Flash had saved the last passenger.

As the Flash skidded to a halt and collapsed to the ground, Len shot, causing the hero to cry out in pain.

“Pretty fast, kid, but not fast enough….”

Keeping his gun carefully aimed at the Flash, Len smiled, “Thank you….”

“For what?”

“You forced me to up my game, not only with the cold gun, but with how I think about the job….It's been educational.”

Suddenly, Lucas heard a strange sound behind him, causing him to spin around.

A young man was aiming a large…weapon (?) at them, with two women standing behind him. “Drop it.” Ordered the young man, “This is a prototype cold gun, four times the size, four times the power.”

Len sighed, keeping a close hold of his son and turning his attention back to the Flash, “I was wondering who you were talking to.”

“Hey!” yelled the young man, “….unless you want a taste of your own medicine, I'd back the hell up.”

“Your hands are shaking.” Casually observed Len, “You've never killed anyone.”

“There's a first time for everything, Captain Cold….” 

Lucas groaned under his breath….his Dad loved that nickname and the puns that came with it were often unbearable. Papa agreed with his son on that count…

“I will shoot you….” Snarled the man.

There was almost a pregnant pause, before Len smirked and aimed the gun at the sky, “You win, kid…I'll see you around.”

Closely following his Dad, Lucas smirked at the young man and mock-saluted.

“Hey, leave the diamond!” ordered the man.

“Don't push your luck…” sighed both Len and Lucas in unison as they made their way away from the scene.

“Should we have let him go?” 

Len smirked at his son, gesturing towards an abandoned car. “Of course….now he’ll always remember us. We’re the ones who got away….come on. We have someone to meet up with.”

Lucas beamed, hopping into the passenger seat after his Dad. “Papa?”

“Yes Papa...do you still have that diamond?”

“Yep!”

“Excellent….it’ll be a great apology gift.”

“I know something else which’ll be even better!”

“…Tell me more.”

……………………………………………………………………………………….

The motel was dark and dingy…then again, all the motels that his Papa chose were. Cheap and less likely to speak to the cops if questioned. The perfect criminal get-away.

Len knocked on the door of room 13B, waiting patiently until there was a grunt from the other side. “Yeah, what d’ya want?!”

“A rare and expensive diamond….” Sighed Len, smirking at the familiar voice, “….Oh, wait. I already do!”

There was silence for a few moments until the voice spoke again, “Door’s open….”

The pair quickly made their way inside, Lucas grinning widely at the familiar face that greeted them. “Papa!”

Mick chuckled, lifting his son into the air before seating the child next to him. “Hey Lucky. You been a good boy for your Daddy?”

Len, who had moved to sit on the windowsill, nodded. “Of course…he’s been really useful.” 

Mick lit a match in the dark room as Leonard sighed “I know it's been a while since we pulled that job….I know it didn't go so well for you, and I know I said we were finished, but things have changed. If I want to keep working in Central City, I'm gonna need a new kind of crew. I'm gonna need someone like you.”

Lucas shuffled off of the sofa and grabbed a box from off of the windowsill, opening it as his Dad continued, “You're tolerant of extremes…You have certain skills. You just need some direction, and I can give that to you.”

Another match was lit as Mick examined what was in the box.

“Remember your old heat gun? Consider this the heat gun two-point-oh.”

Lucas beamed as his Papa held up the gun, “You in Papa?”

“Or are you out?” continued Len.

There was silence for a few moments, before Mick chuckled, using one hand to ruffle his son’s hair. “Yeah buddy, I'm in.”


	11. Revenge of the Rogues AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)
> 
> This one-shot takes place about 6 months after the previous chapter, and the Flash and the Rogues are already an established part of Central City. The first season will be spread out over a longer period of time.
> 
> A small part of this chapter is based off this gif-set: http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/post/139130119112/new-au-leonard-snart-and-mick-rory-find-a-kid-on

Lucas shrieked in delight as his Dad leaned out of the passenger side window, firing an icy blast at a garage door. With a thundering crash, the car he and his parents were in crashed through the door, shattering it into pieces.

Len smirked as they exited the car, “Told you it would break….” He chuckled, grinning at his husband

Mick rolled his eyes, “And the shrink says I'm crazy.” 

Lucas, ignoring the mini spat between his parents, glanced around the warehouse. “What is this place?”

“Customs warehouse….” Answered Len, as Mick pulled the dust sheet off of a clearly expensive-looking car, “…Imported cars from Europe, all worth a fortune.”

Mick and Lucas both glanced at each other, before Mick frowned. “Question. How do you suggest we drive all these cars out of here? Lucky isn’t actually qualified to drive yet…”

“He’s only nine….he can learn when he’s sixteen. Anyway, we're not stealing anything.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Our entrance set off the silent alarms. The cops will be arriving in 2 minutes and 14 seconds…..”

Mick grinned, reaching into the car and pulling out the box containing his new heat gun. “Bring ‘em.”

Len sighed, “That's not for the cops, as we discussed.”

Mick pushed the box away in frustration as Len continued, “He'll be here...”

Sighing, Mick moved to lean against one of the cars. “The Flash….it’s all about the Flash again.” He glanced over at his son and frowned, “Don’t you have homework to do?”

Lucas groaned and rolled his eyes, “It’s only maths! I can do that in a millisecond!”

“Don’t care. Get in the back of the car and do it.”

Stomping his feet as he went, Lucas stormed towards the car as sirens began to echo in the distance.

Mick glanced around, before frowning. “You do hear that, right?”

Len, who looked quite shocked, frowned. “He's not coming…” He sighed, moving to get in the car, “We're leaving.”

“This better make sense real fast, buddy.”

The pair climbed in as Len rolled his eyes, “It will. Let's go.”

Mick growled as he handed the gun box to Lucas in the back, before starting up the engine. “You promised me I'd get to do my thing…”

“I always keep my promises…” Len glanced into the back seats and frowned, “Lucky. Seatbelt…” he then turned to Mick, “You too. Don’t encourage him…the last thing I want to be doing is taking you two to the clinic because you’ve gone through the front window.”

Mick grumbled under his breath as he obeyed, quickly reversing out of the garage and speeding away from the sirens.

……………………………………………………….

Barry frowned at the pieces of garage door on the floor, “Well, the breakage indicates that the door somehow had zero viscoelasticity when it hit the ground.”

Detective Joe West frowned, “What does that mean to normal people?”

“Sorry, uh, the steel shattered like glass…” He lifted a piece off of the ground and examined it, his eyes soon widening in realization, “…It was frozen, Joe.”

Joe groaned, “Snart.”

Barry nodded in agreement, “He's back…which probably means that his kid isn’t too far behind.”

Eddie Thawne frowned in confusion, “I thought Snart was some world-class thief….All these expensive cars and he didn't take any of them? Doesn't make sense.”

“Do you reckon Rory’s involved in this one?” asked Joe.

Eddie glanced around, before shrugging. “Well, nothing’s on fire, so I’m going to say no….”

“Well put out an APB on Snart anyway…and his kid”

“Got it.” Eddie then left

Barry sighed wearily when Eddie was out of earshot, “Snart wasn't here to steal anything.”

Joe nodded, “He was setting a trap.”

“For me….And by me, I mean –“

“Yeah, I know who you meant.”

…………………………………………………………………

“God, you're beautiful….”

Lucas, who was shoving his homework into his bag roughly, smirked at the slightly jealous expression on his Dad’s face. Dad always did hate it when Papa focused heavily on the flames…

“Mick.” Growled Len.

Flicking the lighter shut, Mick sighed. “This is a joke. How do you know this Flash didn't skip town, hmm? Maybe that's why he didn't show up.”

“Or maybe he's dead!” interrupted Lucas, nodding in agreement with his Papa.

“Or maybe someone smarter than you iced him.” Continued Mick.

Len rolled his eyes as he watched his son fist-bump Mick, “He's not dead, and he didn't leave town.”

“You will tell me what we're stealing this time? We are partners, after all.”

Len smirked and spun his laptop around to show them the screen, “This is what we came for.”

Lucas and Mick gathered around to see the screen. There was a painting on the screen, which Mick sneered at. “That's worth money?”

Len nodded, “It's called Fire & Ice, an abstract modern-day masterpiece said to represent the dichotomy of being.”

“It represents to me that people with lots of money buy dumb stuff…” Muttered Lucas.

However, he was ignored as his parents smiled at each other. “Lenny…” chuckled Mick, “…is it a special date?”

“What? I can’t get you nice things?”

“Hmmmm…” Mick scanned his partner up and down, a sly smirk appearing on his face, “…remind me to make it up to you later.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

Groaning, Lucas interrupted, “How much is it worth?!”

Snapping their eyes off of each other, Len and Mick turned their attention back to the screen. Len cleared his throat and grinned, “Osgood and Rachel Rathaway, one of the richest couples in Central City, paid 25 million for it in Paris. They're flying home with it today.”

Mick hummed in glee as Lucas perked up, “Rathaway? Like Uncle Hartley?”

“They’re his parents…who disowned him. He was all too happy to tell us about their recent exploits.”

“Will he be coming?”

Len shook his head, “He’s working on a new invention…one to use against his old mentor.”

Lucas frowned in disappointment, but soon pushed it to the back of his mind as his parents planned their attack.

………………………………..

Lucas groaned under his breath as another hour came to an end, “Are they here yet?!”

“Patience….” Gently scolded Len, “…they’ll be here. Hartley guarantees it.”

No sooner had he finished the sentence, did the sound of an incoming lane break the silence of the night. Len grinned, “Mick’s in place….let’s go kiddo. Remember, as soon as the cops or the Flash arrives-“

“-I get out of sight, I know Dad!”

The pair quickly exited their getaway car and made their way to the hanger entrance. Watching as his Dad fired a blast of ice into the air, Lucas smirked and held out his arms as they strode in. “Someone better call 911!”

Lucas beamed as security quickly pulled the Rathaway’s away from the pair, however, the police were soon there. As soon as the cars pulled up outside of the hanger, Lucas hid himself behind a plane, watching as the cops placed shields in front of themselves “Snart, freeze.”

Lucas couldn’t help but grin at that….very poor choice of words. Unfortunately, from his viewpoint, Lucas could see that his Dad’s cold gun wasn’t having any effect on the shields.

Len snarled in frustration as his gun continued to have no effect, “Mick!”

Now the party was really starting. Lucas cheered under his breath as his Papa suddenly appeared behind his Dad, “Gaaaah! Why do they call you people the heat? I'm the Heat!”

The familiar routine of his Papa being the brainless, rage-filled thug caused Lucas to grin, watching as the police seemed to take a step back in shock….they definitely stepped back when the flames from his Papa’s heat gun struck the ground in front of them.

“Forget them, Mick….” Ordered Len, smirking as he continued to fire his cold gun, “…Get ready for him.”

“It's beautiful!” cheered Mick, grinning at the flames.

“Mick…..Mick!”

Lucas could hear that his Dad was growing more and more frustrated with Mick. Knowing that his Papa was showing no sign of stopping, Lucas nipped out from behind the plane.

“PAPA!”

There was a bang and the flames from the heat gun suddenly cut off as a bullet damaged the weapon. This and his son’s cry seemed to snap Mick out of his flame-induced trance.

“Mick! We go, now!” yelled Len as the pair backed away, with Lucas moving to grab the painting. Quickly, the group ran towards their getaway vehicle, jumping in and driving off into the opposite direction of the police.

Lucas remained silent as the tension between his parents became all too clear, not wanting to say a word in case the tension erupted.

………………………………………….

Barry rushed into the CCPD headquarters, his eyes scanning the crowd until he found who he was looking for. Detective Joe West was quietly speaking into his mobile as the young man approached.

“Is he all right? Okay.”

“Hey….” Barry frowned in concern, “…Hey, are you okay?”

Joe glanced at him before finishing the call, “I'll call you back.” He sighed, “I'm fine. It seems like Rory is involved after all….got a fancy new flamethrower as well. Almost everyone was treated on the scene, but…we got two in the burn unit, though.”

Barry shook his head in dismay, “I'm sorry. I should've listened to you.”

“It's all good…but The next time Snart and his pyro partner show up, you make them sorry they ever messed with you….”he turned away, “I gotta call the hospital…..”

As he moved away, a sudden thought occurred to Barry. “Hey Joe! Did you see Snart’s kid?”

Joe shook his head, “No…not over the flames. But Eddie reckons he heard the kid.”

“Heard him?”

“Yeah….Rory seemed to lose the plot and Eddie says he heard the kid call out Papa…we were shot at the pair, why would they endanger the kid like that?!”

Barry shrugged, “I don’t know….but if they aren’t careful, the kid could end up in more trouble than a simple arrest.”

…………………………………………………

Lucas kept his eyes focused on the page in front of him. He was currently making his way through ‘Watership Down’….and was bitterly regretting it. On the dining room table, his Papa was fixing the damaged heat gun as Len worked in another room.

The tension was still thick in the air.

“The cop's bullet ruptured the secondary internal fuel chamber…” called out Mick as footsteps could be heard coming towards the room, “…It could've been worse. You were right to get me to learn every part and circuit of this thing. Repairing it was-“

Lucas leapt off the sofa as his Dad and Papa aimed their guns at each other.

“-A snap.” Finished Mick, smirking at the clear annoyance on his partner’s face.

“Give me one reason I don't kill you right now….” Snarled Len.

“It's gonna be hard to find someone else to listen to your winning speeches.”

Ignoring how his son chuckled at this, Len continued, “You lost it out there, just like the last job. You lost focus, became obsessed.”

Mick raised an eyebrow, “I'm obsessed? What about you? You're usually counting the seconds, got the whole thing planned out, dotting t’s, crossing I’s…But all you care about now is the Flash.”

“We have to put him down!”

“Why? We got the finger painting…” Mick gestured at said painting with his free hand, “…it's worth millions. It's ours, we're rich. Job done.”

“And what about the next job, Mick? And the job after that? With weapons like these, no one can stand against us, no one except the Flash.”

Lucas remained tense until his Dad finally stood down, placing the gun back onto his shoulder as the man sighed. “If you want out, take the painting and go.”

Mick frowned at this, lowering his gun as Len moved closer, continuing in his attempt to convince Mick how necessary this plan of attack was, “But if you want Central City to be our home, where we can do and take whatever we want….This is our chance. Your chance.”

Mick thought to himself for a few moments, before humming in agreement and turning his gun on the painting, quickly setting it ablaze. “Mm. Very motivational….How do we get him?”

Len smirked, “The Flash isn't so different from us….He's got partners too.”

For a few minutes the pair watched as the painting burned, their minds clearly focused on the next step of the plan. 

“So…what do we do next?”

The pair spun around, as if shocked to see Lucas standing there. Len frowned, “Nothing….not until tomorrow anyway. Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

Lucas shrugged, “You didn’t tell me too.”

“It’s a school night, you always have a set bedtime on weekdays.”

Mick grinned as Lucas clearly prepared to argue, placing a gentle hand on his son’s shoulder. “No point in arguing Lucky. Come on, we’ll both tuck you in after you get ready.”

10 minutes later, Lucas was lying in bed, watching as his parents pulled the duvet up to his shoulders. “Dad? Papa?” he began, “…there’s a boy in my class whose parents are getting divorced because they had a fight…are you guys gonna get divorced. You fight all the time!”

Len and Mick stood there in shock for a few moment, before Len patted his partner on the shoulder. “All yours Rory…”

“…Thanks Snart…” Mick leant in closer and brushed his hand over his son’s hair, “Yeah kid, we fight a lot, but your Dad has saved my life…tons of times. And we’ve always been there for each other. We love each other….and we both love you. Remember that, okay?”

Lucas nodded sleepily, his eyes slipping shut as his parents huddled close to one another, their whispered voices soon sending him off to sleep.

……………………………………………………………

Lucas groaned under his breath as his Dad straightened out his collar again, “Dad! Leave it alone!” he whined, pulling away as his parents smirked. 

Len took a step back and held up his hands in mock surrender, “Alright, alright. Remember the plan?”

“Pretend to be lost, get her near her car…then you’ll come in and grab her. Did I miss anything?”

Mick chuckled, “I’d be worried if you did. Come on Lenny, let Lucky work…” he quickly pulled his partner away, into a hidden location where they could keep an eye on things.

Shivering slightly, Lucas huddled over in order to make himself seem smaller.

Showtime.

…………………………………..

Caitlin Snow frowned as she glanced at the screen of her phone, re-reading over the report of the missing Martin Stein…her main link to Ronnie. As she strode towards the car, she vaguely heard a soft sobbing. Following the noise, she peered in between two parked cars, only to see a small boy huddled over, his back to her as his shoulders shook with his sobs.

“Hey…” she whispered, not wanting to startle him, “…hey, are you okay?”

The child span around, keeping his face lowered as he rubbed at his eyes. He was only wearing a pair of scruffy jeans, converse and a t-shirt that had a…Wookie (?) on it. “I-I don’t know where they are!” he sobbed.

“Who sweetie?”

“Mummy and D-daddy! We were g-going out to eat…b-but there was a cool advert for a n-new film and I-I lost them!!”

Caitlin nodded in sympathy, “Okay, okay…why don’t I take you to the police station? I’m sure your parents are already there, worried sick about you!”

The child nodded tearily as Caitlin placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and steered him towards her car. However, as soon as she went to open the door, an icy blast covered the car door, freezing the lock shut.

Caitlin screamed in surprise and span around, only to see Captain Cold and his partner standing there. 

“Is this nice lady having car trouble Lucky?” 

Caitlin watched in dismay as the small boy rushed up to the two men, beaming as he wrapped his arms around Captain Cold’s waist. “Did I do okay Dad?!”

Captain cold pulled the boy into a loose hug as Heatwave went to grab her, “You did brilliantly kid…come on Mick. Let’s get her out of here.

As the larger man grabbed her, Caitlin cried out in fear and alarm….but nobody was around to hear her.

……………………………………..

After shoving the woman into the back of their (stolen) van, Len turned to Mick. “Blindfold her…”

Mick quickly obeyed, even as the lady struggled and attempted to move away. “I can’t believe you’re using your child as bait…” she exclaimed as they set off, Lucas and Mick in the front whilst Len kept his gun trained on their…guest, “…it’s cowardly.”

“Bold words…” chuckled Len, “…especially for someone in your position.”

The lady seemed to agree with this, as she remained silent until they reached an abandoned warehouse. Once there, Mick dragged the lady, hands gripping tightly onto her arms, Len and Lucas following on behind. 

When inside, Len grabbed a video camera off of the side and handed it to his son. “Got another job for you…” he smirked, chuckling as his son’s eyes lit up, “…we need to draw the Flash out, and a video of the lovely Miss Snow ought to do it.”

Lifting his son onto a stack of wooden boxes and pointing out where the ‘on’ button was, Len moved back to where Mick still had a hold of Caitlin Snow. “Ready?”

Lucas nodded, switching the camera on and holding it up. “Greetings, citizens of Central City…” began Len, “…I am Leonard Snart, but you probably all know me as Captain Cold. I'm gonna make this very simple for everyone…we want the Flash. Porter and Main…tonight…sundown.” He smirked at the camera, “Come out, come out, wherever you are, Flash…or this woman dies.”

“No, don't come for me.” Called out Snow, “Stay away!””

Quickly, Lucas switched off the camera, beaming as his Dad nodded proudly at him. “Good…we’ll send multiple copies to the different news station, with strict instructions to play it tomorrow…maybe we can get our techie friend to guarantee that it’ll be seen on every station.”

As he was talking, Mick was tying Miss Snow to a chair in the centre of the room. “You won’t win…” she begged, “…just let me go and we can forget this ever happened!”

Mick just chuckled, moving away as he scooped his son up into his arms, “Come on kiddo, time for bed.”

“B-but-“

“No buts…” interrupted Len, “…not if you want to come with us this evening.”

Instantly, Lucas perked up, “Really?! Yes!”

As Mick moved towards the back of the warehouse, Lucas could clearly be heard asking his Papa to read him another “him another chapter of the Deathly Hallows!”

Chuckling at this, Len turned his attention back to Miss Snow and shrugged, “What can I say? We keep on top of recent pop culture.”

………………………………………………………………………

Barry sighed as his worst fears were confirmed by Eddie…Mick Rory and Leonard Snart had kidnapped Caitlin. Joe frowned, “”Do you think that their kid was involved?”

“A kid that’s lost in the dark…” Barry sighed, “…Caitlin would be easily caught off guard.”

Eddie frowned in confusion, “But why would they kidnap someone like Caitlin?”

Suddenly, the Captain poked his head out of his office and gestured for someone to switch the TV on. “Joe. Thawne….” Snart’s face appeared on the screen, “…it’s on every station.”

………………………………………………………………………

Despite only sleeping for a few hours, Lucas zipped around the warehouse, singing the Animaniacs theme as he played with his Wolverine action figure.

Meanwhile, Mick was keeping a careful eye on their guest. “You're a friend of his, huh?” asked the arsonist, “He's fast…” He flicked his lightsaber on, “….like fire.”

From the sidelines, Lucas watched as his Papa held the lit lighter up to his palm, “Fire…it's undefinable. Heat, light, energy. It's an evolution when things burn…”

As Caitlin snarled at the man, “You're sick…”, Lucas crossed his arms and frowned at his Papa, “Dad says you’re not supposed to do that!”

Mick glanced at his son, flicking the lighter off as he turned his attention back to Caitlin, “Maybe you're the sick ones. You ever think about that?”

“Not really…You've got third-degree burns. Why didn't you get skin grafts?”

Mick glanced at his burnt, scarred arms. “The fire revealed my true self, showed me who I really am…I wonder what your Flash will reveal when I burn his suit and skin off.”

“”Do whatever you want to me…” growled Caitlin, “…but leave him alone.”

Mick smirked at this, his eyes widening in mock fear, “Oh, okay…You and this Flash must be really close if you're willing to die for him, hmm?”

Lucas watched as his Papa picked up his heat gun off of the floor, “You want me to show you who you really are? That'd be fun…Show you who you really are….”

“Mick. Kid….” The pair quickly focused their attention on Len, who was dressed in his traditional parka, “…Time to go. Kiddo, your parka is by the entrance.”

Lucas sped off in that direction, whooping gleefully as Mick smirked at Caitlin. ”You better pray the next people that come through this door is us.” He chuckled, flicking a switch on a device underneath the chair and re-gagging the young lady.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

As they made their way to the meeting place, Len twisted around to face his son (who was bouncing up and down excitedly) in the back seat. “Lucky. I need you to listen to me okay?”

Lucas nodded eagerly, still bouncing up and down in his seat. 

“When Papa and I go to meet the Flash….you need to stay here.”

“What?!”

Len sighed at the shocked look on his son’s face, “We can’t lose you okay….we don’t want someone taking advantage of the situation, and the area is going to be swarming with police. If they see you and grab you…they’ll take you away. I can’t go through that…I just can’t.”

“Neither can I kid…” grunted Mick from the driver’s seat, “…so you listen to your dad, or you can bet your ass that you’re grounded, understand!?”

Lucas nodded once again, “Yes Dad, yes Papa…”

Seemingly accepting this, his parents turned back to the front until they reached the meeting point….it was time.

Moving to the front passenger seat, Lucas watched as his parents strode confidently up the street, guns in hand as police surrounded the area. Suddenly, with a flash of yellow lightning, the Flash appeared in the middle of the street

“The Scarlet speedster….” Greeted Len, smirking as he and Mick made their way up the street, “…Any preference on how you'd like to die? The flame or the frost?”

The Flash remained silent.

“Not in the mood for chitchat. Gotcha…Ready when you are.”

They aimed their guns and fired…but the Flash shot past them. Len rolled his eyes, “Cover me!” he yelled at Mick.

Whilst his partner was keeping the hero occupied with short bursts of flames, Len iced up the nearby sidewalk, “Run on this….” When he hit a fire hydrant, it exploded into a jagged tower of ice…which the Flash ran into, shattering it into a million tiny pieces and rendering him stunned slightly.

From his viewpoint in the van, Lucas whooped and cheered for his parents, bouncing up and down slightly in his excitement.

“Mick!” yelled Len, prompting his partner to fire at the car that the Flash was hiding behind. 

With an almighty bang and an explosion of flames, the car blew up causing Mick to grin. “Ah! Gotcha!” However, his face fell in disappointment when a flash of red shot by him

Lucas watched in glee as his parents gave the Flash a run for his money, their icy and fiery blasts chasing the hero up buildings until finally, another shot of ice stunned the Flash. 

Smirking at each other, Len and Mick strode up to the prone hero. However, both blasts were blocked by a shield, the same ones they faced at the hanger, giving the Flash enough time to recover and get away.

Len smirked as he watched the Flash walk towards them, “Thanks for playing, kid.” Him and Mick both opened fired, hitting the Speedster directly as the man continued to walk towards them, despite being in clear pain.

The hero came closer and closer…until he was directly in between the two criminals. Suddenly the Flash was gone and there was a huge bang and Mick and Len were flung into the air, their guns flying out of their hands.

“No!” cried out Lucas, “Get up!”

Len desperately scrambled to grab his gun, however, before he could grab it, a red foot stepped gently on the gun. Len chuckled, rolling over onto his back, “I didn't see that coming. I guess you win this time.”

“There won't be a next time…” an officer quickly strode up and aimed his gun at the criminal, “...Thank you, Detective.”

As the police cuffed his parents, Lucas leapt out of the van and ran towards them. “Get off them! Let them go!”

Len was the first to spot the child, and began struggling against his bonds. “Kid! No! Get away!”

“Someone grab him!” yelled the officer as the police attempted to grab the boy before he could reach the two criminals.

“PAPA! DADDY!” screamed Lucas, crying and struggling as he was scooped up into an officers arms. “PAPA! DADDY!”

“Shit, the brat bit me!”

“Get him into the car!”

Lucas screamed and screamed as his parents were dragged further and further away, the officers fighting to shove him into the back seat….not noticing how the child’s hand wandered towards their guns.

As the car transporting Captain Cold and Heatwave drove away, the two officers with Lucas finally managed to get him into the back of their car. Ignoring how the child screamed and swore at them from the back seat, the two headed towards the local care home, where Lucas would remain until the police knew what to do with him.

Pulling up outside of the care home, the officers opened the door….only to find themselves at the business end of two guns. 

“What the-“

Lucas slowly shuffled out of the car and began to back away towards an alleyway, “Now, now officers…” he grinned nervously, “…no need to be unkind.”

The cops quickly checked their main holsters to find them empty, and then held up their hands. “You don’t want to do this….” One of them stated, “…you have a chance to be something more!”

Lucas smirked, “I don’t wanna be something more…” Quickly, he fired at the officer’s feet, causing them to jump back in fear. Whilst they were distracted, he threw the guns to the ground and sped off into the alleyway. Using the cover of darkness and the cop’s momentary confusion, Luas was able to slip away.

………………………………………..

Barry frowned as he watched the officers drag Heatwave and Captain Cold into the station, with everyone clapping as they were brought in. Heatwave was swearing and screaming at the men who held him back, “Aah! I'm gonna burn every last one of you pigs! Get your hands off me!”

With a furious tug, one officer was thrown off Heatwave, causing Joe to grab his gun and point it directly in Mick’s face. “Hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey!”

Mick snarled at the cop as he was dragged away. As Captain Cold was brought forward, Joe smirked at him. “Partner's a real hothead.”

Len’s face was completely blank, “That's funny.”

“You know what's hilarious, Snart? We got you….we got your partner…and we had your son.”

“Had?”

“Officers have just called to say that Lucas escaped…your son is in the streets at night because you and your partner dragged him into a life of crime.”

“Maybe it’s more to do with useless officers who can’t even keep an eye on a small child.”

“…Get him out of here.”

…………………………………………………

Lisa frowned down at her phone…Len should have called her by now. Signalling for Sherry to pour her another drink, Lisa turned her attention towards the clock….yes, he definitely should have called by now.

Suddenly, the door to the bar flew open to reveal Lucas. Saints and Sinners was one of Leonard and Mick’s popular haunts, so Lucas was a popular sight…though not like this. The child had tears running down his cheeks as he ran up to Lisa, “They’re gone!” he yelled, “Daddy and Papa are gone!”

Lisa frowned, hopping down off her bar seat and gently grabbing Lucas’s shoulders. “Gone? What happened?”

Tearily, Lucas told her the whole story. Once finished, Lisa thought to herself and nodded in determination. “Okay…don’t worry. I have a plan.”

………………………………………………………………………….

In the morning, Mick and Leonard found themselves being transformed to Iron Heights. Mick glared at his partner, “I should've burned the entire city block down…but instead, I listened to you. We had the painting. We had the guns. We could've had everything. But you had your stupid plan. How is that stupid plan working out for us now? We’re on our way to prison and our son is out there wandering the streets!”

His eyes closed, Len simply smirked. “I wouldn’t be too sure…”

Suddenly the van ground to a halt, rocking the pair from side to side violently. 

“What the-“yelled Mick in shock, “-Snart!”

“Relax, Mick.”

“What's going on?”

Len leaned forward, still smirking. “The plan.”

The back door to the van was pulled open and Len grinned, “Hey, sis. Hello Lucky.”

Lucky beamed and bounded into the van, practically leaping onto his parents in order to give them a hug. “You’re okay!” he cheered.

Lisa grinned, “Of course, I told you they would be…now, how about you show me those wonderful lock-picking skills?”

Lucas beamed and quickly got to work, and within minutes, his parents were free. Mick glanced down at his hands and grinned, “Nice.”

Leonard lifted his son into his arms and nodded his thanks to his sister, “Thank you…now, let’s get some ice cream. How are the drivers?”

“Unconscious brother dear…you know, orange is really not your colour.”

“Lenny looks good in anything…”

“Mick…” “I so did not want to know that….” “Can I have a chocolate cone Daddy?”

……………………………………………………………………………..


	12. Rooftop Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)
> 
> This one-shot takes place about 6 months after the previous chapter, and the Flash and the Rogues are already an established part of Central City. The first season will be spread out over a longer period of time.

“Lucky….”

Lucas rolled over, burying his face into his pillow as he desperately tried to ignore his friend.

“Lucky!”

Groaning, Lucas rolled back over and opened his eyes. “Axel…what the hell are you doing?”

The 13 year old beamed down at the nine year old, “Come on! Up and at ‘em!”

Lucas glanced at his clock, and winced, “It’s six in the morning!”

“Yep, best time for it…”

“For what?!”

“Rooftop running!”

Lucas simply stared at him, before pulling the quilt over his head and groaning. “Not a chance….”

There was silence for a few moments…until, suddenly the duvet was tugged away and thrown to the floor. Axel then grabbed a hold of his younger friend, and pulled him to the floor as well. “Get dressed. Trust me, this’ll help you when you get back to Central City.”

Ever since the incident six months ago, Lucas and his parents had been living in a safe house outside of the city, with the rest of the Rogues…now Lucas didn’t mind Axel, but these months seemed so much longer with all these hours spent with the teenager.

Swearing slightly under his breath, Lucas got changed, pulling an x-files t-shirt over his head and pulling on a pair of shorts. Once changed, he stormed out of his room and frowned at his friend. “Done…now what?”

Axel grinned, pushing past Lucas and into the bedroom, before opening the window and climbing out onto the balcony. “Follow me!”

Lucas quickly followed him outside, scrambling up the ladder that led to the roof. Once at the top, Lucas was able to watch the sun as it rose above the horizon. “Wow…” he whispered, “…I didn’t realize how-“

“-pretty it is?”

Lucas jumped as Axel’s voice came from just beside his head, causing the teen to laugh. “Chill out Lucky…I’m not surprised you didn’t know what a sunrise looked like, if you could get away with it, you wouldn’t get up until noon!”

Rolling his eyes, Lucas chose to ignore that comment (partly because it was true). “So what’s the plan?”

Axel grinned and pointed towards a tall building, “You’re going to follow me across the rooftops until we reach that building. Keep up!”

With a burst of speed, Axel ran to the edge and leapt onto the building next door…the race was on. 

……………………………………………………………..

‘Wow’ thought Axel, as he watched Lucas race past him, clinging onto a pipe and using it as leverage to spring to the next building along. “You bastard!” yelled Axel, “I thought you said you’ve never done this!”

From the opposite rooftop, Lucas smirked at him. “I never said that I’ve never done this before, you just assumed I hadn’t. Truth is, Shawna taught me back in Central City.”

“B-but y-you…and the sunrise?!”

“She usually taught me in the middle of the day…come on. Keep up!”

Grinning as he went, Lucas continued with the run, leaping from rooftop to rooftop as Axel followed on behind. For the next few minutes, the pair ran in relative freedom, laughing as birds scattered at the sight of them.

Upon leaping onto a warehouse rooftop, Lucas twisted his head around and stuck his tongue out at Axel, who flicked him the bird…..and then noticed what was in front.

Coils of barbed wire had been placed on the roof, probably as a form of storage. Axel’s eyes widened in shock and fear as he watched the oblivious child in front of him run straight towards it. “Lucky! WATCH OUT!”

Lucas frowned, twisting his head back around to face the front…only to try and stop in his tracks, skidding on the stones as he fell forwards….straight onto a loose piece of wire.

Axel winced as Lucas screamed in pain, helping his friend to roll over. He took a step back at the sight of the barbed wire embedded in the young boy’s leg, “Shit…” he swore. “…what do we do?!”

Lucas simply continued to cry and sob, causing Axel to panic. “Shit, shit, shit, shit….” He knelt down by his friend, “….should I try and take it out?”

Weakly Lucas shook his head and silently indicated that Axel should try and call someone. Quickly, Axel removed his mobile (stolen of course) from his pocket and desperately pressed the button that would call the number one contact.

BEEP

BEEP

BE-“Hey kiddo, what’s up…apart from my cholesterol levels, HA HA HA!”

Axel winced slightly at the loud voice of his Dad and quickly interrupted before his Dad could continue. “Dad! Lucky’s hurt, really bad and I don’t know what to do and-“

“Woah, woah, woah kiddo….” James now seemed very serious (well as serious as he could be), “…where the hell are you boys? Snart’s just searched Lucas’s room and you’re not there!”

Axel was quick to explain the situation, and once he was finished, it was clear that James had put the phone on speaker….because Mick soon made his opinion none.

“You mean to tell me….” He growled, “…that you took my son out without adult supervision and now he’s lying on a rooftop somewhere hurt and bleeding?”

“Yes?!” squeaked Axel, trying not to sound too scared at the sound of Mick’s clear anger.

There was some frantic mumbling on the other end of the line, until Shawna took over. “Describe any important landmarks to me and I’ll come and get you.”

“Ummmm, there’s a really tall building to our left? Lots of windows and stuff?”

“What else?”

“….We passed a park! It was only about two minutes away!”

“That’s good, keep talking and keep making sure that Lucas is awake, okay?”

Quickly, Axel turned his attention back to Lucas, who was thankfully still awake. The younger child was gritting his teeth in a desperate attempt not to scream. As he kept his eyes on his friend and continued talking to Shawna, the time flew by and eventually the young women appeared next to them.

She knelt next to Lucas and winced at the sight of the barbed wire embedded in the child’s leg. Okay…” she whispered, making sure that the barbed wire wasn’t attached to the larger coil, “…okay, I need you to remain calm. I’m going to lift you up and we’re going back to the safe-house. Axel, grab on to my shirt.”

Quickly, Axel obeyed and soon, the group were appearing in the doorway of the safe-house. Len and Mick ran over and Mick lifted his son into his arms. “What should we do Boo?” he asked, wincing as Lucas cried out in pain.

Shawna quickly cleared some room on a nearby table, “Put him over here. We have the basic medical supplies here.”

“What about a proper doctor?” asked Len, “Isn’t there a free clinic around here somewhere?”

Shawna shook her head as she pulled rubber gloves on, “Nobody who I trust enough not to blab to the police…Lucas? Lucas, would you like something to bite down on?”

Weakly, Lucas nodded, opening his mouth as a wet rag was placed in it. Once Shawna was sure that he was ready, she gestured Mick and Len over. “You may need to hold him down.”

The pair nodded as Mick gently took a hold of one hand/shoulder and Len took a hold of the other, gently brushing his fingers against Lucas’s cheeks as tears streamed down them. With a warning look at the pair, Shawna gently began to pry the barbed wire out of Lucas’s leg.

Blood streamed onto the table as Lucas screamed through the rag, pulling at the hands on his shoulders. After over ten minutes of gentle pulling without damaging the surrounding tissue too badly, the wire was removed. 

As his son continued to sob, Len hummed soothingly, gently stroking the hair on his son’s head. “It’s okay, sshh, sshh, sshh….It’s okay, it’s out now.”

Lucas blinked tearily up at his parents as the rag was removed, giving him chance to relax his jaw. “Is it over?”

Before Len or Mick could answer, Shawna interrupted. “Sorry kiddo, but I’ve gotta disinfect it and stitch it up…this isn’t going to be fun. Axel? Can you run and get the painkillers from the kitchen. He’ll need them once this is over…”

Lucas nodded, “I need them now!” he whimpered. Shawna smiled reassuringly as she placed the rag back into his mouth.

Once he was relaxed, Shawna carefully dabbed an alcohol-soaked rag across the wound in order to disinfect it. Lucas tensed at this, but managed not to scream. Once disinfected, Shawna got out the medical sewing kit. “Nearly over…” she whispered soothingly, “…I just need to stitch it up and wrap it up.” 

Len frowned, “Do you think it’ll leave a scar?”

Mick rolled his eyes, “He had a piece of barbed wire rammed into his leg, of course it’s going to leave a scar! It’ll be a cool story though…one scar’s from a pistol whip and the other one’s from barbed wire, that’ll really get the girl’s attention!”

Shawna chuckled softly at the pair, getting louder as she saw Lucas roll his eyes. “Okay…” she started, “…deep breaths and this’ll be over before you know it.”

For over half an hour, the needle and thread moved in and out of the surrounding skin, drawing the wound together as Lucas whimpered and tensed with each movement of the needle. Once finished, Shawna tied off the thread, quickly wrapped the leg in a bandage and clapped her hands in success.

“Done!” 

Len and Mick helped Lucas sit up, as Lucas removed the rag and rolled his leg, wincing in pain. “That was way worse than the last one…” he groaned, running his finger over the scar under his bottom lip, “…don’t we have any numbing cream?”

Shawna chuckled, “You were lucky we had medical thread. Now, you need to keep this wound dry for a while, I’ll get some disinfecting ointment in order to keep the wound free of infection…he has had a tetanus shot in the last year?”

Len nodded, “Before the heist a few months ago, his yearly check up with the official Doctor recommended that he get one and then, which he did…”

Lucas groaned at the memory, “I hate needles…especially when that man is welding one.”

“But…” began Shawna, “…this means that you probably won’t need another one.”

Len chuckled at the relieved look on his son’s face, lifting him into his arms (being careful of the wound). “Thank god for small mercies huh?”

Lucas nodded, his eyes slipping shut as the pain medication took a hold of him. Len smiled softly at him, glancing at Mick. “I’m going to let him have a nap, hopefully when he wakes up the pain won’t be as bad.”

Mick nodded, waiting until Len had strode out of the room and into Lucas’s temporary bedroom. Once he was sure they were out of sight and earshot, Mick turned his attention to Axel and gestured him over.

Timidly, Axel tiptoed over until he was in front of the arsonist. Mick knelt down in front of him and frowned, “Next time you decide to take my son on a rooftop run….don’t. Today you were lucky, but next time, Shawna might be dealing with broken bones…or worse. Understand?”

With tears brimming in his eyes, Axel nodded tearily. “I got it…” muttered the thirteen year old.

Mick nodded, straightening up as Axel scurried away. James, who had been watching from the side-lines, came up beside him and sighed. “Did you have to be so…harsh?”

“Yes. Your son is older than mine and knows better….trust me, when Lucky is a bit more alert, he will be getting a verbal beat-down as well, but Axel needs to know that all this isn’t a joke.”

Silently, James nodded and moved away as Mick strode into his son’s bedroom. “How is he?” he asked Len.

Len smiled, his eyes focused on a sleeping Lucas. “He’ll be fine…” he sighed wearily, “…but as soon as he wakes up, he’s getting the scolding of a lifetime for almost giving me a heart attack.”

Mick nodded in agreement, silently watching his son’s chest fall up and down with each breath. “…Can you get child leashes for this age?”

“I don’t know….but I think we need to do some further research on that.”


	13. Rogue Time AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)
> 
> This one-shot takes place about 3 months after the previous chapter, and the Flash and the Rogues are already an established part of Central City. The first season will be spread out over a longer period of time.

Len glanced down at his son in concern, “If you don’t feel up to this, then we can wait another week….”

The nine-year old groaned under his breath and rolled his eyes, “Daaaaad, Shawna gave me the all clear weeks ago….almost two months ago! I gotta do this or I’m gonna go stir crazy!”

Lucas and his parents were standing in a secluded area of the Santini grounds, next to the large house and the main wall that led to the window of the Don’s office. Running all up the wall, were long, inter-twining vines that clung to the bricks…and Lucas was going to climb them.

It was in the early hours of the morning, so the Don was unlikely to be in his office…

Mick knew that his son was ready, but Len was still hung up over the rooftop incident a few months ago. “Len….” Muttered Mick, “…let him do this.”

Len appeared as though he was going to protest…however, after glancing down at his son, the words got caught in his throat. Lucas’s eyes were rimming with tears as he stared up at Len, his bottom lip trembling. “Please Daddy?”

There was a brief silence before Len finally replied, “Fine! Fine! Do you know the plan?”

“Yep! Of course!”

“Remember…wait for the signal.”

Lucas saluted and grinned, “Yes Sir!” he cheered, climbing up the thick vines until he reached the office window. Within a few seconds and several short jabs and turns with a bobby pin, the window was open and Lucas climbed in.

Standing just below, Len and Mick made sure that there was no chance of Lucas being caught…silence. Len turned to smirk at Mick, “Now to get the Santini’s attention….”

……………………………………………………………….

“Don Santini, they're here.”

From his position, under the large desk, Lucas could only see the Don’s legs (which thankfully weren’t swinging)…but he could hear everything. There was the sound of struggling as his parents (presumingly) were dragged into the room and shoved onto chairs in front of the desk.

After some shuffling, Lucas could hear his Dad sneer. “Oh, love the panelling. Mahogany?”

“So glad your house is made out of wood….” He heard Mick chuckle, “…It's gonna be a pleasure watching it burn.”

It sounded as though someone hit him as Mick growled, “Aah! Refreshing!”

“What are you doing back in Central City, Snart?” asked the Don

Lucas smirked mouthing along with his parents as they replied to the (pretty stupid) question. “This is my city.” Sneered Len

“Our city.”

Lucas grinned. Len always forgot to include Mick….not intentionally of course.

The Don, however, was less impressed. “I told you if I ever saw you again I'd put the hurt on you. You stir up trouble. Trouble is bad for business.”  
“It's time for you and your family to pack up….” Began Len, “…Leave town. Retire to warmer climates….Finito.”

“And if we don't?”

“You will all freeze.”

“Or burn.” Chuckled Mick

“I heard about your guns…I also heard that you lost them.” The Don stood up from his seat

‘Well Duh’ thought Lucas, who hadn’t heard of Captain Cold and Heatwave?!

“So, tell me, Snart….” Continued the Don, “….What the hell are you and your pyro friend gonna do without your fancy weapons?”

Lucas tensed…waiting for the signal.

“This.” Len slammed his fists into the man standing next to him, with Mick being close to follow.

That was the signal…with all of his strength, Lucas rammed into the legs of the Don, sending the elderly man to the ground. Whilst the rest of the men were preoccupied with his parents, Lucas struck the Don across the face once…twice….thrice until the man fell unconscious, bleeding from a wound to the head.

It barely took a minute until the guards, except one, were knocked unconscious. Clambering off of the Don, Lucas ran up to his Papa who was grinning at the sight of all the bodies. 

“Now that was fun!” growled Mick in glee, “Fun. Fun. Fun.”

The three strode towards the one guard who was still unconscious, with Len kneeling down and smirking at the slight fear in the man’s eyes.

“Go….”ordered Len, “…Tell the rest of the Santini family there's a new Godfather. And his name is Cold.”

Before the man could reply, he was knocked out with a single punch by Mick. Glancing around, Lucas grinned up at his parents, “That was brilliant! What’s next?!”

Len smirked, “We need new guns…and I know exactly how to get them.”

……………………………………………………………………………………..

Lucas groaned in boredom, throwing his Flash figure into the air. “When are Papa and Aunt Lisa gonna come back?” he asked Len, who was going over the plans for their next heist. “I’m bored!”

“I thought helping to move those bodies would have entertained you for the rest of the day?”

Lucas thought so too, watching as his parents moved the bodies into a lorry, where Mick could dump them in the middle of nowhere, was thrilling…but now, all there was, was an empty house…and his Dad had forbidden him to go anywhere near the guns.

Spoilsport.

It was late in the evening when the front door slammed open and Mick dragged an unconscious young man through the hallway and into a separate room.

“Who’s that?” asked Lucas curiously.

“That…” began Len, “…is our way of convincing a certain young man to do whatever we ask.”

The group only had to wait another hour before the front door opened once again, causing Lucas to hide quickly behind the armchair as Len flicked off the lights. There was the sound of rustling, as a young man’s voice echoed throughout the, now quiet, living room. “I can’t believe this! This day started out terrible, but now it’s turning out to be damn good….”

“I’ll say…”cooed his Aunt.

“Wow….” Exclaimed the young man, glancing around, “…Look at this. These are nice things.”

“Oh, we're just squatting.”

“We?”

“Yeah….” There was another rustle as Lisa removed her wig, “…Me and my brother.”

The lights flicked on and Lucas grinned when his Dad gestured for him to stand up, so that the young man could see him when he turned around.

“Hello, Cisco….” Drawled Len, smirking as Cisco span around in shock, “….What exactly are your intentions with my sister?”

“Oh, come on….” Groaned Cisco, “…I should've known better. I am not that lucky!” He gestured at Lisa in frustration, wincing as Len simply stared at him. “Please don't kill me for kissing your sister.”

“You kissed him?” “Ewwww! Aunt Lisa!” exclaimed both Lucas and Len at the same time

“You're not dad, Lenny.”

“I know…Dad's in jail. Sterling role model.”

“What do you want, Snart?”

“Guns…Heat and cold, to be precise.”

Cisco shook his head, “There's no way I am making weapons for you…Never again.”

Len sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. “Mick….”

The door to the other room slid open and his Papa pushed the other captive, young man to the ground in front of Cisco. Len smirked at the shock on Cisco’s face, pulling Lucas close to him with one hand. “I know I would do everything in my power to protect my family…The question is, will you?”

…………………………………………………………………………………..

Cisco worked through the night, and as soon as sun rose, Lucas rushed downstairs and sat on an armchair near the dining room table, where the young man was working. The two brothers were hissing angrily at each other.

Watching in amusement, Lucas grabbed his Leonardo ‘TMNT’ figure and began to play, making quiet sounds of fighting under his breath. After another half an hour, his parents and aunt entered the room and Mick beamed in delight. “Ah! There she is….” He picked up the newly-made heat gun, “…I missed this baby.”

As Mick aimed the gun around the house, Cisco scowled at the group. “Here it is. All finished. You gonna let us go now?”

Len paused, “You know, I took the first gun you made me apart dozens of times. Learned how it ticked. What went where…” He gestured with his head for Cisco to pick a piece of metal up from the table, taking it off of him and fitting it to the cold gun, “…Thought you could tamper with the firing pin without me noticing. Nice try, kid.”

He fired up the gun and grinned, “Yes.”

“Lenny?” pouted Lisa, “Where's my gun? Girl's gotta defend herself. Besides, why should you two have all the fun?”

Len smirked fondly at her, turning to Cisco, “My sister needs a weapon. Something that suits her personality.”

“Make me something pretty and toxic, like me….How about something with gold?”

Cisco raised an eyebrow, “Gold….ha.”

He glanced at Len, hoping to see that they were joking…but they weren’t. Lucas then decided to pipe up, “Daddy, can I have a gun as well?”

“Not until you’re at least sixteen.”

…………………………………………………………………………

“But I want to come with you!” whined Lucas, as he followed his Dad and Aunt to the front door.

Len shook his head, smirking slightly as Mick lifted their son off of the ground and into his arms. “I’ll let you take part in a shoot-out when you get your own gun, and not a minute before. Understood?”

Sulkily, Lucas nodded….but Mick still kept him off of the ground until the front door closed behind the siblings. For what seemed like hours, Lucas sat in the middle of the floor and carefully kept his eye on the two brothers.

After about an hour, Mick got his son’s attention. “Come on Kid….” Grunted Mick, “…let’s have a science lesson.”

With excitement, Lucas watched as his Papa poured himself some shots and set them alight. “Most people think the hottest part of the flame is the white part…”he began, “…They're wrong.” 

“You gonna admire those or you gonna drink 'em?” asked Dante.

Mick blew out the shot and knocked it back, “Both.”

As Mick continued to drink, Lucas went back to playing…the two brothers were whispering to one another in Spanish…until suddenly, there was a cracking noise and the table leg broke off, giving Dante a weapon.

Ignoring Cisco’s cries of distress, Dante rushed at Lucas. Lucas’s eyes widened in alarm as he scrabbled desperately away, calling out for his Papa. “PAPA!”

Before Dante could land a hit, Mick smashed a bottle over the man’s head, sending him to the ground. Cisco swung at the arsonist, but was soon punched to the ground as well…except Mick continued to kick him.

“How. Dare. You. And. Your. Brother. Attack. My. SON!”

Lucas cheered his Papa on as the front door slammed open and Len rushed in, “Mick! Mick, calm down! Mick!” He fired up the cold gun and aimed it at his partner, “We need them!”

In the pause between punches, Lisa gently grabbed a hold of Mick’s arm and pulled him away as Cisco groaned in pain. “Mick? Baby? It sounds like you're hungry. How about you and I grab some dinner?”

As the pair left, Len turned to his son (who was still sniggering) and frowned at him, “Don’t encourage him. Understood?” 

As Lucas nodded apologetically, Len turned back to Cisco….who was whimpering as he rose to his knees. “I like you, kid. You're smart. You pulled yourself up from humble beginnings. You seem like a good brother.”

Cisco glanced nervously at him, “You too.”

Len seemed to disagree but smirked anyway. “Debatable….You answer one question for me, I'll let you and your brother walk.”

“What's the question?”

“The Flash. Who is he?”

Lucas focused all of his attention on the pair as Cisco shook his head and stammered, “I swear he always wears a mask.”

There was a slight pause, before Len turned the cold gun on Dante and fired at the man’s fingers. Dante cried out in pain and Cisco scrambled over to his brother, “No! No! Stop!”

“Pay attention Lucas, time for a bit of medical information…” began Len focusing on Cisco, “….This is first degree frost bite. Your brother could recover with proper treatment….If not, all his tendons, blood vessels, and nerves will freeze. His fingers will need to be amputated. No more concertos for the Ramon family holidays. Now tell me, who is The Flash?”

Cisco glanced at his brother significantly, causing Len to sigh and pull him towards the door…Lucas quickly following on behind. 

It’s not like Dante was going anywhere anytime soon.

Once in another room, Cisco took a deep breath….”Barry Allen. The Flash is Barry Allen. Now please! Dante needs the hospital!”

Smirking, Len nodded in agreement. “I’m sure Lisa will be all too happen to give you two a lift…LISA!”

Minutes later, Lisa was driving Dante and Cisco to the hospital. Lucas turned to his Dad in glee, “We know who the Flash is!”

Len smirked “Yes…which means we have the advantage.”

…………………………………………………………………..

Lucas beamed as he clambered onto the motorcycle, dressed in his parka and googles, with a helmet firmly strapped to his head. “I can’t believe I’m actually going on a job with you! This is going to be awesome!”

Len climbed on in front of him as Lucas wrapped his arms around his Dad’s waist, “Only for the driving part. Once the truck stops, I want you to get to a safe location, understood?”

Begrudgingly, Lucas nodded as Lisa climbed into the side-car and Mick got on his own motorbike. “Fine…do I get a gun?”

“No.”

……………………………………………………

Lucas whooped in glee as he and his family zoomed towards the Santini truck, flinching slightly as bullets flew past them. His Aunt covered their guns in gold as Mick set the wheels alight. Len raised his gun…but before he could fire, there was a flash of red and Lucas’s stomach turned.

One minute they were on the bike, and the next, they were in a forest…the Flash standing in front of them. As Lucas retched semi-silently behind his Dad, Len threw his helmet to the ground and smirked at the hero. “Good to see you…Barry.”

The Flash removed his cowl, to reveal a young man. “We have to talk. I know Cisco told you who I am.”

“Can't really blame the kid for giving you up. You or his brother? Come on! I put him in a tight spot…Same kind I got you in right now. Can't really stop me now that I know who you are.”

Lucas recovered, moving to stand by his Dad’s side.

Barry grinned, “I could speed you to my own private prison where you'll never see the light of day.”

Before his Dad could answer, Lucas chimed in, crossing his arms as he smugly grinned at the Flash. “You could, but then he won't be around to stop his own private uplink that'll broadcast your identity to the world.”

Smiling proudly at his son, Len placed a comforting arm around Lucas. “So, the million dollar question….” Len chuckled, “…What to do with me now, Barry Allen?”

“I won't let you keep stealing whatever you want, whenever you feel like it…It needs to end.”

“Can't do that. It's what we do.”

“Then find a new line of work….surely you don’t want this life for your son?!”

“I don't want to be anything else!” scowled Lucas

“Why is that?”

“The same reason you keep running after guys like us. The adrenaline! The thrill of the chase!”

Len nodded in agreement, “We love this game…And my son is very good at it.”

“Then go play it somewhere else! Leave Central City.”

“Can't do that either…” Len took a deep breath, “…I love it here. This city is my home.”

“You've seen what I can do….” Sighed the Flash, “…You know that I can stop you. You want to keep pushing your luck, go for it. But from here on out, no one else dies. If you're as good as you say you are, you don't have to kill anyone to get what you want.”

Lucas glanced up at his Dad, and shrugged at the pensive look on Len’s face, “That's true…” agreed the nine year old.

“And if you, or anyone in your Rogues' gallery goes near any of my friends or family again…” continued the Flash, “…I don't care who you tell my identity to. I'm putting you away.”

There was silence for a few moments, before Len nodded. “I guess your secret's safe Flash…For now.”

Barry nodded, moving past the pair, pausing when Lucas piped up once again. “I don't suppose you'd give us a ride back to town, would you?”

Barry said nothing, smirking before speeding away. Len shook his head and grinned, “I love our little name…the Rogues. Cute.”

Lucas rolled his eyes, “Great…how are we getting home?”

“…I’ll call Mick.”


	14. Rogue Air AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)
> 
> This one-shot takes place about 6 months after the previous chapter, and the Flash and the Rogues are already an established part of Central City. The first season will be spread out over a longer period of time.

Lucas bobbed his head quietly to the music playing in the bar. Saints and Sinners was their main hang-out when his Dad and Papa were having a small argument….now this one was only a small spat in comparison to the other fights that they had, but Len was still sulking in their usual corner.

Len leant over the bar and gestured for the bartender, “Give me another one….Ice cold.” 

Lucas rolled his eyes at his Dad, “You know you don’t have to use cold puns all the time, right?”

Len smirked at his son, “But how will everyone identify me as the feared Captain Cold?”

“You mean apart from the fact that you’re one of the most wanted criminals in Central City? Everyone knows your face!”

Before Len could answer, he turned around and smirked at a familiar face. “Well, well, well…If it isn't the scarlet speedster.”

The young man, who didn’t look very happy to be there, sighed. “We need to talk.”

Len nodded, moving them over to a pool table. “You want anything? Beer, food? Pickled eggs here are fantastic.”

Lucas nodded in agreement with this, offering Barry some of his fries. Barry shook his head, “No, I'm good. I need your help with a problem.”

“Must be pretty desperate to come asking for my assistance, but I'll bite. What do you need?”

“Help transporting some people out of the city.”

“How many?”

“Five…Five very bad, very angry people…who have powers.”

“Powers, hmmmm? So you want me to what? Freeze the problem? Protect you from them if anything goes wrong?”

Silence.

Len continued, “First rule of business: always protect yourself. I'm not gonna help usher your enemies out of town.”

As Len and Lucas moved to leave Barry alone, the young man stopped them. “Hey, they're not just my enemies. They're your enemies, too.”

Lucas scoffed at this, “I doubt it.”

“They will destroy Central City!”

“It's not my problem….” Sighed Len

“You said that you love it here. That this is your home. Your son’s home!”

“I do and it is.”

“Well, guess what? These people get loose, there won't be a city to love anymore. You won't be able to rob anyone if everybody's dead.”  
Lucas and Len glanced at each other, communicating silently until Len nodded once. “It's a compelling argument…” He got out a pen from his pocket in order to write something on a napkin, “…But if I'm gonna help you out I'll need something in return.”

“Like what?”

Len slid the paper across, “This.”

Barry’s face paled slightly, “No…This is impossible. I can't do that!”

“Then we can't help you.”

“There has to Snart-“Noticing that he was getting louder, Barry glanced around before lowering his voice, “-there has to be something you want that I can get”

Thinking to himself for a few moment, Len sighed. “Let me think about it…”

Without even waiting for an answer, Len gently ushered his son out of the door of the bar. Halfway home, Lucas glanced up at him. “…What did you ask him for?”

“…You don’t want to know kid.”

…………………………………………………………..

Over the next hour, Lucas watched as his Dad thought quietly to himself. “I have been given a rare opportunity…” he whispered, “…the Flash can do anything, we could ask for anything…well, almost anything.”

Lucas nodded, his eyes focused on his ‘Captain America’ comic. “What about our permanent records?” he asked, “It would make things easier for us…”

Len beamed at his son, “Excellent idea. No fingerprints…no match to any crime. Not that any of us leave fingerprints anymore. Amateur mistake and all that.”

He practically leapt up from his seat, grabbing his parka and gesturing for his son to follow him. “Come on, we need to pay a visit to Star Labs.”

………………………………………………………………………………………

Lucas stuck close to his Dad as they strode through the corridors, towards the main laboratory. As they got closer, they both heard Barry talking to someone.

“So, like it or not, Snart, with his cold gun, is the only one that can stop them if Cisco's transportation does not hold!”

Len then decided to make a dramatic entrance (much to Lucas’s embarrassment). “Then lucky for you I figured out what it is you can get me….” The policeman quickly drew his gun, but Len only smirked, “Hello, Detective, nice to see you again. Caitlin, Cisco. I thought about your proposal. You want my help, this is what I want….” He began to stroll around the lab, “…Fingerprints, dental records, DNA, criminal records, family tree, everything there is in this world concerning Leonard Snart, Mick Rory and, if there is anything, Lucas Rory-Snart.”

Silence.

Len continued, “I want it destroyed. All of it. At CCPD, online, everywhere.”

“The brass on this dude….” Sighed Detective West, clearly finding this funny, “You really think we'd do that for you?”

Len glanced at Barry and smirked. Barry sighed, “I'll do it. If it's the only way, fine.”

“You and me need to talk right now.” Ordered West, striding out of the room as Barry followed on behind.

Silently, Len and Lucas glanced around, with Lucas examining all of the scientific equipment with interest.

After a while, Barry came back into the room and handed Len a slip of paper. “I’ll do it…meet me at this address later on tonight.”

Len nodded, smirking as he and his son left.

……………………………………………………………………………….  
Later on that night Lucas and Len watched as a pile of files began to stack up in front of them. Quickly, the Flash came to a stop.

“I've deleted everything the CCPD, ARGUS, and the FBI had on you and your family, and sent a virus to erase every digital record of you guys online.” He gestured to the files, “And this is every single piece of physical evidence the police had.”

Len smirked, “Good.”

Lucas grinned as a jet of gold appeared from a hidden alleyway, causing the Flash to flinch slightly and roll his eyes. Lisa Snart stepped out.

“I hear we're all going to be working together….” She crooned.

“That's right, Sis….Partners.”

The Flash sighed wearily, “We need to get back to STAR labs. I meet you guys there…”

Lucas barely had to blink and the hero was gone. He glanced up at his Dad and Aunt, smirking at them. “I don’t think he’s happy with us…”

“That’s an understatement Lucky…”

……………………………………………………………………

Needless to say, Caitlin was not happy to see Lisa. “Please tell me this is a joke.”

“Oh, you were right, Lenny….” Lisa pouted, “…She is very uptight.”

“I am not uptight…” she glanced at her friends, before amending her statement, “…You can't call me uptight.”

Barry sighed, “Look, guys, we need their help if we're gonna pull this off.”

“Why are you wearing your mask?” asked Caitlin, “Snart and his…kid already know who you are!”

“And we promised we wouldn't tell anyone…That includes my sister.”

“Jerk.”

“Train-wreck.”

Lucas smirked at the shocked look on the Detective’s face, “Don't look so surprised, Detective. We are men of our word.”

“Yeah, you better be….” Grunted the man, “…Or I'm gonna make sure you're on that damn plane, too.”

As they went off in their different directions, Lucas heard his Aunt begin to flirt with Cisco…and annoy Caitlin at the same time.

Brilliant.

………………………………..

The group met at an abandoned warehouse, where a giant lorry was waiting for them. Lucas was helped into the back by his Dad who joined him, as the Detective and Cisco examined the vehicle.

“This is cool. Where'd you get this?”

“My uncle owns it. His company hauls frozen food cross country.”

Cisco faced the group, “Okay, so I retrofitted the cooling system with the wheelchair's power source to create an energy damper.”

Detective West frowned, “Which means what, exactly?” 

“Basically, the back of this rig is being flooded with so much power that it's effectively creating a transient pulse strong enough to disrupt the meta-humans' powers, so we can get them to the airport and get them on a plane without them getting fresh on us. Technically, we need somebody with a Class A commercial driver's license to drive this, though.”

At this moment, Lisa chimed in, “I can drive it.”

The merry-group of do-gooders all stared at her, causing her to pout. “What? I have a Class A CDL.”

“You do?” Caitlin didn’t seem to believe her.

“We can't all be doctors….”

Len and Lucas smirked at this as Barry sighed, “All right, well, let's do this. Plane's gonna be here in two hours.”

………………………………………

“Dad…” hissed Lucas as he climbed onto the back of the motorbike, “…they have Uncle Mark and Aunt Shawna in the back of that thing!”

“Don’t worry about it Lucky, me and Lis have a plan…”

“Really?! What?”

“You’ll find out…”

As Cisco reported on the dampener systems, the Flash strode up beside Len and Lucas. “All right…” he began, “….I'll make sure the roads are clear. Do not stop for anything.”

Len nodded, “Let's move out…After you.”

The Flash smirked and rolled his eyes, before zooming off. The journey had begun.

 

Eventually, the group pulled up in a familiar location. Lucas hopped off of the bike and glanced around, “Ferris Air? I thought this place got shut down.”

“It did…” began Barry, “…One of their test pilots disappeared.”

Detective West strode over, “So what's the plan? I want to get this over with.” 

“It should be here any minute….”

Barry and West chatted quietly for a bit, before West stormed away. Sensing that the plan wouldn’t be arriving any time soon, Lucas trotted over to the lorry and climbed up the steps leading to the driver-side door…his Aunt and Cisco were talking, and Cisco seemed a little flustered.

After tapping on the window, Lucas watched as Aunt Lisa opened the window and smirked, “Were you two flirting?”

“No!” “Yes…”

The pair glanced at each other as Lucas giggled, “Dad won’t be very happy….” He chimed, giggling further as Lisa mock-swatted at him.

“Why don’t you go be a pest somewhere else?”

Knowing that she was only teasing, Lucas nodded and ran back to his Dad.

Len sighed, ruffling his son’s hair as the kid ran up. “Your ARGUS friends aren't very prompt….”

“Maybe that's why they've never been able to catch us!” giggled Lucas, smirking as Barry rolled his eyes and grimaced at the pair.

Caitlin pointed into the distance, “Look, there it is.”

Suddenly, Cisco came running up to them, “Guys, guys, we have a problem. The damper's fluctuating. The rig's losing power. I don't know why!”

“Wait, can you do something?!”

“I'm trying!”

“Oh, God.” Gasped Caitlin as lightning flashed across the sky, dangerously close to the plane.

“Mardon…” sighed West

A bolt of lightning then struck the wing of the plane and sent it crashing into the distance, where it erupted with an explosion of fire. Seconds later, the back of the lorry flew open to reveal the prisoners.

“Trip's cancelled!” chuckled Mark

“Take your last breath!”

As one of the prisoners turned into green, probably poisonous, gas, Len pushed Lucas to hide behind a car, where they watched as the Flash and his team fought the prisoners….well ex-prisoners.

“Dad! We need to do something!” cried out Lucas, flinching as the sky turned stormy and lightning struck the ground.

“Calm down Lucky…this is all part of the plan.”

“What?!”

Lightning sent the Flash crashing to the ground, and Simmons (who could shoot lasers from his eyes) began to walk over. At that moment, Len dashed out of his hiding place, stood in front of the Flash and fired at the man…

As his face burnt, Simmons was only able to turn around to face Mark and the others…before collapsing dead to the ground

Len kept his gun pointed at Mark and the other prisoner, “How about we call tonight a tie?” 

The other prisoner’s eyes flashed red…before another gun was pointed at his head. “I'd power down if you don't want me to melt your face.” Ordered Lisa.

“Let's all go our separate ways….” Continued Len, “…My name is Leonard Snart.”

Mark rolled his eyes, “I know who you are….I’ve babysat your kid about a dozen times.”

“Not without teaching him a new swear word, but I digress…Just remember who it was made sure you didn't get thrown on that plane bound for nowhere.”

“You're just letting us go?” Mark didn’t seem convinced, “…Why'd you shoot that guy?”

Len smirked, “He owed me money.”

Mark couldn’t help but smirk at this, “Mmm. What? Want a ‘thank you?’”

“Of course Mark, we are trying to teach Lucas good manners after all.”

There was silence for a few moments, before the other prisoner spoke up, “Thank you.”

“You are so very welcome.”

Mark rolled his eyes and waved at Lucas, “See ya around kid.”

Lucas grinned and turned to follow his Dad over to where the Flash lay on the ground, groaning in pain. “You sabotaged the truck, didn't you? Why did you let them escape?”

“Because now they all owe us…” answered Len, “…And something tells me they'll be a lot more use to me as part of my rogues than rotting away in the North China sea.”

“You gave me your word.”

Both Len and Lucas laughed. “It's true, I did….” Chuckled Len, “…But here's the thing. I'm a criminal and a liar, and I hurt people, and I rob them….What did you expect me to do? Not be what I am? I saw an opportunity to turn things to my advantage, and I did. Who you're really mad at is yourself. This is on you, Barry.”

“Then why didn't you just kill me?”

Lucas piped up at this, “Well, I guess you owe us one now, too!”

Len grinned, getting on the bike. His son rested on his knees and his sister was behind him, “Good luck with all of this….” He chuckled, “…I'm actually really excited to see how it all turns out.”

With that, they zoomed away from the hanger, with Lucas whooping in glee…they won!


	15. Fast Enough AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)
> 
> This one-shot takes place about 1 week after the previous chapter, and the Flash and the Rogues are already an established part of Central City. The first season will be spread out over a longer period of time.

“Lucky, would you hurry up please! We don’t have time for one of your sulks!”

Lucas mimicked his Dad behind his back, pulling faces and mouthing along, as the older criminal stormed ahead.

“Stop that.”

At his Dad’s order (how did he even know?!), Lucas snapped his mouth shut and scowled. “I don’t see why I couldn’t actually come into the bank with you! Didn’t I prove myself during the last heist?!”

Len span around to smirk at the ten year old. “Firstly, keep your voice down! Secondly, you weren’t even a part of the plan…you tagged along.”

“And yet, who came up with the idea for the Flash to erase all data revolving around us? If I hadn’t said anything, you probably would have asked him to steal some stupidly big diamond…one that you could have stolen yourself with a little work!”

“How dare you-“

Before Len could finish, there was a rumbling in the sky and the crowd around them turned their attention upwards. Buildings began to crumble and windows cracked as a swirling, black mass appeared in the clouds.

Len glanced up in alarm, quickly removing his googles in order to see the event clearly. “Lucky, we need to go….” Cars began to fly up into the air as Len grabbed his son’s arm, “…NOW!”

As the crowd surrounding them screamed and ran away from the portal, Len dragged his son down the street. “Lucky, now is not the time to drag your feet!”

“I’m trying not to…” gasped Lucas, “…but you’re running too fast.”

Len paused, spinning around to try and pick his son up….but Lucas pushed him away, a pout on his face. “I’m not a baby! You don’t have to carry me!”

“We don’t have time for this!”

“Then we should just run!”

Len watched as his son shot past him, racing towards the side of a building. Near the building was a car park, surrounded by potted plants that were meant to ‘lighten up the streets’. The cars in the car park began to rise up towards the portal as well as the rubbish within the bins nearby.

Broken glass bottles shot up towards the sky with an alarming speed…and Len couldn’t help but cry out as his son fell to the ground, a shard of grass flying close to his eye and slicing just above his right eyebrow.

Lucas screamed, hands pressing against the wound as blood dripped through the gaps between his fingers. “DAD!”

The Flash would’ve been jealous at the speed Len ran in order to get to his son. “Hold still…” scolded Len, “….grabbing a handkerchief from one of his pockets and pressing it against the wound, “…we need to get to a doctor, now!”

“Really?” exclaimed Lucas sarcastically, wincing as his Dad pressed harder, “I never thought of that!”

Len rolled his eyes and lifted his son into his arms (despite protests), “I regret ever teaching you sarcasm…keep pressure on your wound. Hopefully Doctor Brett hasn’t abandoned his clinic yet!” 

Dodging the crowds of screaming people, Len dipped down alleyways and zipped through car parks in order to get to the clinic. He reached the small building, just as Doctor Brett was leaving. “Doc! Wait!” cried out Len, his son still in his arms.

Doctor Brett span around in shock, “Snart?! What the hell?!” He caught sight of Lucas and frowned, “What the hell happened now?!”

“A piece of glass caught him, you have to help!”

The Doctor raised an eyebrow and gestured to the sky, “Have you seen the swirling portal of death? I ain’t sticking around to get sucked into space or something!”

Len scowled, shifting his son into one arm and pulling out his gun with the other, “It’s either you take your chance with that portal….or I shoot you right here and now.”

Brett frowned, glancing at the gun, before unlocking his clinic door and gesturing them in. “Fine….but if I die here, I’ll take it very personally.”

Quickly, the group moved into the clinic and Lucas was placed onto a table. He winced, still pressing onto the wound on his head. “Is it meant to be bleeding this much?” he groaned, not even bothering to fight as Brett moved his hand away from the scratch.

Brett hissed as he drew breath in through his teeth, “Shit kid…this is gonna need stitches, and quickly ‘cause I don’t like how this is bleeding.”

Lucas glared up at the man, “Yeah, funnily enough, neither do I…”

“Shut up brat….or I’ll forget to numb it!”

This shut Lucas up pretty quickly, noted Len with amusement, wincing in sympathy as the area was numbed and the stitching began.

Outside, the screams continued and the rumbling increased in volume. Glass from the window of the clinic cracked, but Brett remained steady. “I’m going to have to rush the last few stitches kid…” he hissed, “…or you’ll find yourself with more scratches than I have thread.”

Tearily, Lucas gave the Doctor a thumbs up, squeezing his eyes shut as the stitching commenced…this time, much faster until finally, they were done. Len lifted Lucas back into his arms as Brett ran to grab his bag, “Right, keep it clean and dry, and come see me in three to five days….if we survive!”

Without even waiting for a reply, Brett rushed out of the door, leaving Len standing in the middle of the room. “And…where exactly am I going to find you?” he muttered, poking his head out of the window.

Seeing that there was no immediate danger, Len left, Lucas still in his arms…much to the child’s disgust. “Dad! I can walk!”

“Don’t care, we need to-“ Len stopped in his tracks when he saw yellow bolts, almost like electricity, circling the portal.

Glancing up, Lucas also seemed to come to the same conclusion as his Dad. “Is that…the Flash?”

“I-I think so….good thing we kept him alive really.”

“Oh? Now I was involved in that heist?”

“Don’t start….i think we need to get out of the city for a while.”

“Keystone?”

“Keystone.”


	16. Money Buys Everything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)
> 
> This one-shot takes place about 1 year after the previous chapter, and the Flash and the Rogues are already an established part of Central City. There will be a large gap between season one and season two, of about 2-3 years.
> 
> Based off prompts asking for me to have protectiveLen and Mick :)

Len groaned as he made his way up to the school. He and Mick had had another fight…and Lucas was acting up. Over the past few school days, Lucas had been escorted to school, but afterwards, he had been sneaking into clubs.

He was only eleven.

Rolling his eyes, Len couldn’t help but blame himself. Meeting in the Saints and Sinners, a local bar, was common for the Rogues…which might have led to Lucas’s current attitude.

Altering his body language in order to portray his alter ego, meek Michael Scofield, Len strode through the gates of the school and smiled at the receptionist. “Hello, I’m Michael Scofield…I got a call about my son, Lucas Scofield-Burrows?”

The young lady pointed towards the back office, “’e’s just in there Mista. Be careful, Mrs Evans is pretty angry…”

Len groaned under his breath, nodding his thanks, before moving towards the office. Upon opening the door, he instantly spotted a muscular, older man in a suit standing beside an unknown child in a chair…next to them, was his own son.

Moving to stand by his son, he noticed a large bruise swelling on the boy’s right cheek, a split lip…and he was holding a swollen wrist against his chest.

“Lucky!” gasped Len in shock, not even having to consciously fall into a doting Father role, “What happened?!”

Lucas remained silent, turning his face away as tears began to stream down his face. Tightening his jaw, Len span around to face Principal Evans. “What the hell happened?! Why isn’t my son at the hospital?! Haven’t you seen his face and wrist?!”

Principal Evans seemed very uncomfortable, turning her head to glance at the suited man. “There’s…been an incident.” She whispered.

“An incident?”

The suited man took a step closer to Len, a stern frown on his face…it was too much like his own Father’s. Len fought the urge to take a step back as the man took another step closer. “Your son…” began the man, “…viciously attacked my kid.”

Len glanced at the other boy, who had no scratches on him…except from the slight bruising on his knuckles. The child was grinning smugly at Lucas, not even aware that he was being examined. “And yet…it’s my son who looks like he faced a professional wrestler.”

The man laughed, patting his son proudly on the shoulder. “That’s my boy. He knows how to win a fight against a vicious street kid.”

“My son is not a street kid!”

“Oh please, with those clothes? And that hair?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Len saw Lucas run his good hand through his hair, trying to neaten it. Before Len could say anything, the suited man took another step closer, despite Principal Evans’s protests, and towered over Len….who he simply saw as another, weaker dad.

“Your son is a menace…” the man growled, “…who doesn’t deserve to be around normal children!”

“My son is normal!” scowled Len, trying not to back away from the man.

“No, he’s not…and that’s why Miss Evans here is going to make sure he’s expelled. Isn’t that right?”

The pair turned to the Principal, who stammered and stuttered without saying anything coherent. As she tried to gather her thoughts together, the door to the office slammed open…and Mick (aka Lincoln) stormed in, closely followed by a panicking receptionist. “I’m sorry Mrs Evans! ‘e just walked past me!”

Wearily, the principal waved the young lady away and offered Mick a chair….but he didn’t seem to hear or see her. His eyes were firmly focused on his partner and the man who towered over him. “You’d best step away from my husband…” he growled menacingly, wedging a muscular arm in between the two and pushing the man away, “….or I’m not gonna play nice wit’ ya.”

Inwardly, Len cheered as the suited man took a step back…however, he couldn’t let Mick see that. “I was handling it honey…” he sneered, still angry with his partner over the argument that they had had.

Mick turned around to answer…only for his eyes to fall on his son and the numerous injuries that the child was suffering from. “What the hell?!” He exclaimed, ignoring the protests of the Principal about his language.

Falling to his knees in front of Lucas, Mick gently turned the child’s head from side to side in order to see the full extent of the injuries. “Why isn’t he in hospital?!”

Len gestured at the suited man, “Apparently, our son isn’t normal and viciously attacked his son this afternoon.”

Mick only had to glance at the other child, to know that this was rubbish….and said so. “Bullshit. That brat hasn’t got a mark on him! Trust me, if Lucas had attacked first, your son wouldn’t be sitting there with such a smug look on his face!”

The suited man sputtered and stammered, twisting around to glance at the Principal, giving her a significant look as if to say ‘say something!’

Principal Evans sighed, “You have to admit Mister Scofield and Mister Burrows, Lucas does have a habit of getting into trouble and fighting with other students. Matthew here has had very few behavioural problems.”

Len scoffed, “Yeah, because his Daddy is one of the main donators to school. I recognise you now, Mister Attaway, is it?”

Attaway nodded, straightening up again now that it was clear that the Principal was on his side. “That’s correct…but my donations have nothing to do with this matter.”

“They have everything to do with this!” exclaimed Len, “My son has been beaten up, but because your son is clearly a secret bully and lives in Daddy’s pocket, my son is somehow the bad guy here!”

“Yes. Your son is the bad guy here….and from what Principal Evans tells me, he always will be.” Attaway turned to the headmistress, “The boy is dangerous and you know it. I hope you make the right decision….Matty! Come on!”

The other child leapt off of the chair, almost running to catch up with his Dad…only to stop half-way and ‘limp’ the rest of the way. 

Once they were out of the room, Principal Evans turned to Len, Mick and Lucas. “My hands are tied gentlemen. I know the evidence is overwhelmingly against young Matthew, but Mister Attaway is a respected benefactor of ours…and without his support, this school will not be able to continue. I’m very sorry. I’ll be sure to call other schools in the area and recommend that Lucas will be given a position there.”

Len shook his head in disgust, “Don’t bother. My son was clearly assaulted and instead of being concerned for the safety of the children, you’re practically salivating at the thought of more money for this shithole!”

“Mister Scofield please-“

“No! I won’t settle down! My son is the victim here and yet, he’s the one being punished!”

Before Len could continue, Mick gently pushed him to one side. “Lucky needs you…” he whispered, “…I’ll deal with this.”

Looking as though he was going to argue, Len eventually relented and moved to kneel by his son, who was staring at his knees, tears sliding down his face. As Mick began to talk to the principal (surprisingly quiet), Len tried to see the true extent of the injuries, only for Lucas to turn away. “I’m sorry…” whispered the eleven year old.”

Before Len could enquire any further, Mick suddenly began to yell. “I don’t give a shit that he’ll be going into seventh grade soon and into a different building! This has been Lucas’s school for six years and as soon as some rich, daddy’s boy whimpers abuse, you go on and on about the past behaviour of my son!”

“Mister Burrows, you have to admit-“

“I don’t have to admit shit! That was in the past!”

Before Mick could get any louder, Len stood up and gently pushed the larger man to one side. “We’re not getting anywhere with this…” he whispered, “…We need to get Lucky to the Doctor.”

Gesturing for Mick to pick Lucas up, Len turned to smirk at the principal. “I’d be spending as much time with your money as possible…because after withdrawing Lucas from this hell hole, we’re going to sue this institution for child endangerment….and taking bribes.”

He held up a silencing hand as Principal Evans began to protest, “And no…we won’t be bought out. This is going to court. You can expect a call from our lawyer in the morning.”

Without waiting for an answer, Len strode out of the office, closely followed by his partner and son. Not one word was said until they left the school yard. “Mick…” ordered Len, “…call the Doc. Tell him we’re bringing Lucky in as soon as possible.”

“No….”

The two adults stared at their son. “What?” asked Len, frowning as Lucas winced, shifting in his Papa’s arms.

Lucas shook his head weakly, wincing as the face wounds made themselves known. “No…no doctor.”

“Lucky. Your wrist is clearly sprained, if not broken! You need medical attention…if not Brett, then Shawna at least!”

“No!”

Len seemed as though he was going to protest, however, he was interrupted as Mick shouldered past him….Lucas still in his arms. “We haven’t got time for this…” he grumbled, “…you’re going to the Doctors’ whether you like it or not.”

Striding down the street, Mick ignored his sons’ protests…until he cried out. “I deserved it!”

Len and Mick stopped in their tracks, both staring at their son. Lucas kept his eyes lowered, twisting his head in an attempt to bury his face in his Papa’s chest. “I deserved it…he whispered dejectedly,

“What?!” exclaimed Len, “How could you possibly deserve it?”

“W-we were working on a group project a few months ago…on poetry and stuff. I tried to help, but I’m not very good at poetry. Matthew took charge, but he didn’t do anything. H-he kept saying that I was doing it wrong, that I was stupid and we’d fail because of me!”

Lucas took a deep, shuddering breath. “We got the results back today…We didn’t fail, but we didn’t do very well. Matthew was mad and said that it was all my fault. During lunch, he started to hit me, saying that his Dad was gonna be really mad at him….I didn’t stop him, because w-well, what if it was my fault?”

Len shook his head, “No. You tried your very best, and if he didn’t do anything, then it was his fault that you didn’t do very well on that project! Not yours!”

“B-but-“

“No…” interrupted Mick, “…no buts. It wasn’t your fault and that’s that.”

“Your Papa’s right…” whispered Len soothingly, “….now please…self-punishment isn’t attractive”

This made Lucas giggle, wincing slightly as his wrist jostled against his chest. Len and Mick glanced at each other, before Len shook his head. “We need the Doctors….now preferably.”

Lucas looked as though he wanted to protest, but wisely remained silent as Mick picked up the speed and headed to Doctor Brett’s. It didn’t take long until they arrived outside the clinic….bursting through the doors, causing Brett to startle in shock and surprise.

Brett took one glance at Lucas and sighed. ”Oh not again…I’ll prepare his usual table.”


	17. Surprise Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)
> 
> This one-shot takes place about 1 year after the previous chapter, and the Flash and the Rogues are already an established part of Central City. There will be a large gap between season one and season two, of about 2-3 years.

“So…” began Lucas, tipping his chair back in order to rest his feet on the table, “….what exactly was the fight about this time?”

Len, who had been staring at the bar for several minutes, frowned, “What it’s always about…his damn obsession.”

“….You told him never to come back.”

“I say that all the time….he never listens.”

The twelve (almost thirteen) year old chuckled, taking a gulp of coke. “Clearly, otherwise you wouldn’t have got this cryptic message asking you to meet him here….why aren’t I at Aunt Lisa’s again? These places are ‘a bad influence’ remember?”

Len scowled, “Because she didn’t remember where the pair of you had been for a day! It was ‘all a blank’ apparently.” 

Lucas nodded in understanding. A couple of months ago, during a day out with his Aunt, the pair experienced a black-out, not remembering anything of that day. All Lucas could remember, was a lady in black, a hooded figure who was both familiar and not at the same time, a British accent….and his head hurting afterwards.

Needlessness to say, when Len came to pick them up, only to find the pair unconscious in the living room…he wasn’t happy at all. Neither was his Papa to be honest….speaking of which.

Lucas glanced over at his Dad and, sensing the tension, decided to move to the bar for a time. He didn’t stray too far away, so when he heard his Dad speak, he was quick to turn his attention back to the table.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” drawled Len

“Wasn’t sure you’d be here…” grunted a familiar voice.

Lucas span around, ginning at the sight of his Papa.

“You sent me a message. I came….what’s up?”

As Lucas made his way to the table, he noticed that his Papa seemed unhappy…uncommonly quiet in the face of Len’s annoyance.

“I’m…I just wanted to talk….this little family, we’ve done a lot of thieving, a lot of cool stuff, a lot of fun” Sighed Mick, smiling as he saw Lucas make his way over. Noticing that the pair were giving him confused looks, he cleared his throat uncomfortably, “Anyway, I just wanted to make sure that I said something important that….wasn’t left unsaid.”

Len and Lucas glanced at each other, before Len shook his head. “Mick, we’re not really a touchy, feely family. If you’ve got something to say…say it.”

Mick was silent for a few moments, before pushing his chair away from the table. “This wasn’t a good idea…” He paused, glancing at his son and husband, “You’re the best family I could ever have hoped for. You may not think you’re a hero but….you’re heroes to me.”

Mick pulled Len into a kiss, and although Len protested, he soon relaxed into it. Mick then pulled his son into a rib-cracking hug, gently stroking the hair on Lucas’s head. Making sure that the pair were looking him in the eye, Mick continued. “You got that?”

Len nodded, his eyes wide in shock and confusion. “Yeah…we got it.”

Slowly backing away, Mick ruffled his son’s hair. “See ya around…” he muttered, turning and heading out the club door.

Len and Lucas remained silent for a few moments, before Lucas shook his head. “Something’s wrong…”

“Obviously…he’s probably got himself into trouble he can’t get out of.”

“No…it’s something else.”

Before Len could protest, Lucas sped out of the door, hoping that his Papa was still out there. Once in the car park, Lucas saw his Papa standing next to a young man (who looked familiar….tv maybe?) and another man in a long, brown coat….and another, much younger figure, arms bare even in the cold of the autumn wind.

“-save our destinies?” he heard his Papa say, an undertone of grief in his voice.

“If it’s any consolation, I can always ring you back to this particular time and place.” This time it was the man in the long coat. A clear British accent could be heard, causing Lucas to frown…what was his Papa doing with these men?

“I’m fine…” grunted his Papa, “…just let it be.”

Before the three could move away, Lucas decided to make himself known. “Papa!” he called out, rushing over, “Papa, wait!”

The group seemed shocked at his appearance, but Mick still bent over slightly in order to catch his son. “Lucky! What are you-“

“What’s going on?!” demanded the twelve year old, “Who are these people?!”

The young, familiar man smiled at the teenager, only to take a step back in when Lucas glared at him. “He learnt that early…” he muttered, shrugging when the Brit gave him a warning glance.

Mick sighed, “Don’t worry about it kid…you just get back to your Dad.”

“No! Who are they?! Are they keeping you captive or something?!”

The Brit seemed especially shocked at this….but also slightly guilty, which Lucas was quick to pick up on. Wrenching himself out of his Papa’s hug, Lucas removed his switchblade from his jean pocket and leapt at the Brit in anger.

He could see the shocked expression on the man’s face as he leapt forwards, however, he found himself stopped in his tracks due to a hand on his arm.

“Woah, woah, woah…” chuckled the young, bare-armed man, “….careful there psycho. You can’t go stabbing everyone who annoys you!”

“Let go!” grunted Lucas, trying to wrench his arm out of the man’s grip. However, he soon found pinned to the ground, arms held behind his back as the knife was removed from his hands.

“No can do kiddo…you’ll poke your eyes out with that.”

“No, I’ll poke his eyes out! You guys are taking him away from us!”

Before the man could answer, Mick knelt to look his son in the eye and sighed. “Nobody is taking me away Lucky. These men…these men are friends of mine. I’ve been helping them with a problem…so you’ve got to promise me something.”

Sensing that Lucas was now calm, the bare-armed man let him go and allowed the teen up. Mick then continued, “I need you to look after your Dad for me…okay?”

“No…” whispered Lucas, tears in his eyes, “…you sound as if you’re not coming back! Like we’ll never see you again!”

“Ah kid, you’ll see me again…” chuckled Mick, pulling his son into a hug, “…we’ll go rob a bank together, how about that?”

Lucas nodded eagerly as the Brit rolled his eyes, “What stellar parenting skills…. He muttered.

Before Lucas or Mick could say anything, the bare-armed man interrupted. “Shut it Rip….you can’t really say anything.”

Rip glared and took a menacing step forwards, but the other man stepped in between the two. “Come on guys…we have to go. Mick?”

There was silence as Mick glanced at the group, and turned his attention to Lucas. Slowly, he stood up and gently pushed Lucas back in the direction of the club. “Go on kiddo…” he whispered, “…your dad’s probably worried by now.”

Lucas nodded and headed towards the club, pausing to turn around. “I-I will see you again…won’t I?”

“Yeah kiddo….sooner than you know.”

This seemed to satisfy Lucas, who ran back into the club. Once inside, he quickly found his Dad. “So….” Began Len, “…what wrong with him?”

“Nothing….nothing at all.”

Len wasn’t convinced, “Hmmmm….well, I’ll give him some breathing room. But we’ve got a big job in a few months and he promised to help.”

“I know…he’ll be back before then, I’m sure of it!”

“…Fine. Why do you look like you’ve been crying?!”

“….hay fever?”

“In winter…at night?”

“….Yes?”

“We need to work on your lying.”

“Yep….can I have a beer?”

“No.”

“Dammit.”


	18. Family Of Rogues AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)
> 
> This one-shot takes place a few months after the previous chapter, and the Flash and the Rogues are already an established part of Central City. 
> 
> Gif set for this chapter: http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/post/143792159382/coldwave-au-the-flash-s2e3-to-say-that-lucas

“Come on Lucky!” called out Len, quickly throwing bags of money into the back of their van, “We can’t afford to wait around here!”

The thirteen year old laughed as he tossed a bag to his Dad, “With all this, we can afford anything!”

“You know what I mean!”

Lisa and Mick simply rolled their eyes at the two….however, there was the sound of a crashing boxes just to their left. Before the pair could react, there was a sharp pain on the back of their heads, and they fell to the ground unconscious.

Lucas, who was sorting out the back of the van, heard his Dad call out for his Papa….and then silence. He quietly left the back of the van, cautiously looking around. “Dad!” he called out, “Papa?! Aunt Lisa?!”

Creeping around a column of boxes, Lucas came upon the unconscious bodies of his family, causing him to rush over. “Dad! What the hell happened?! Papa? Wake up.”

There were footsteps behind him, but before he could spin around, he felt something hit the back of his head...and then there was nothing.

………………………………………………………………………..

‘Shit that hurt…’ thought Lucas, weakly pushing himself off the gravely ground, his head aching ferociously.

“Hey kid…” he heard his Papa grunt, helping his son up, “….you okay?”

“I feel like someone’s been using my head as a punching bag…” groaned the teen, “….what the hell happened?”

“We don’t know.” Answered Lisa, “….But Lenny’s gone.”

This woke Lucas up immediately, twisting his head around (ignoring the ache) as he tried to find his Dad….nothing.

“H-how, w-what-“he stammered.

Mick shook his head, “We don’t know….the money’s gone as well.”

“We need help…” argued Lisa, “…Someone’s taken Len!”

“We’re not going to the Flash for help…” growled Mick, indicating to Lucas that they had been arguing about this for a while, “…Len probably just decided to cut us loose.”

*SLAP*

Lucas resisted the urge to giggle at the sight of his Papa’s shocked face as he clutched the cheek Lisa had slapped. 

“How. Dare. You!” growled Lisa, “Len would never do that to us!”

Before Mick could answer, Lucas decided to cut in. “She’s right Papa. When I found you guys, Dad was unconscious as well….I was looking at you guys when someone hit me. Dad didn’t leave on his own accord…”

Mick frowned at this, “So who has him?”

……………………………………………………………………….

Len groaned. His head hurt like a bitch...weakly, he lifted himself off of the ground. Glancing around, Len didn’t know where he was…a warehouse maybe?

“Well, well, well….”

Len tensed at the familiar voice, instantly reaching for the gun at his side. However, before he could go any further, he felt a gun press against the back of his head. 

“Calm down…son.” Continued the voice, “Wouldn’t want that headache to get any worse now would we?”

Len remained as still as possible as the cold metal of the gun moved around, until it was pointed at his forehead….standing in front of him, was his Father.

“Father…” drawled Len, “…I thought you were making new friends in prison.”

Lewis Snart smirked at him, “Early parole…I thought we were over-due some Father-Son bonding time.”

“You thought wrong…as usual.”

“Ah, ah, ah….” Scolded Lewis, a dangerous look in his eyes, “…I wouldn’t be so rude if I were you.”

“Or what?!”

“Or your brat will get a whole lot shorter….by about a head I’d say.”

Len knew that his face was getting paler and paler by the second, however, he vowed to keep his face neutral.

“Don’t speak in riddles old man….and that reminds me, you owe my ‘brat’ several Christmas and birthday presents. He’s very interested in engineering and building his own machines.”

Lewis scoffed, “Funny…we have work to do. Come on.”

“Not until you tell me what you’ve done to my son!”

As Lewis told him the honest truth, Len felt sick….which became noticeable to his Father immediately.

“Aah, don’t worry Lenny…nothing will happen to him, unless you do exactly what I say!”

“…Okay. What’s the plan?”

“Come closer son…this plan is fool-proof!”

……………………………………………………………………..

“This is a horrible idea…” muttered Lucas into his coffee, “…your toy-boy is never gonna help us.”

Lisa scowled at him, “He’s not a toy-boy…and it’s not just him we need, it’s the Flash.”

Glancing over at the table where Cisco, Caitlin and Barry were sitting….Barry, aka, the Flash. Caitlin moved away from the group as Cisco began to….what the hell was he doing?

“Come on…” muttered Lisa, pulling Lucas up from his seat and tugging him closer to the group.

Cisco seemed to be impersonating someone, “Young lady, these repeated intrusions are interrupting what should be a speedy recov-Oh, I'm so sorry.”

Lucas grinned after Lisa bumped into the young man, spinning around to smirk at him.

“Don't apologize….” Crooned Lisa, “….You can bump into me any day, Cisco.”

Cisco sighed, “Lisa Snart. You here to double-cross us again, or are you and your family holding up coffee shops now?” He glanced at Lucas and frowned, “Snart’s kid I presume?”

Lucas twirled around and bowed, “The three years have been kind to me….”

Rolling her eyes, Lisa fluttered her eyelashes at Cisco. “We need your help.”

“In your dreams, Sister Cold. You know I could call The Flash. He'd be here in like two seconds. Probably one!”

Lucas smirked over at Barry, who was desperately trying not to catch Lucas’s eyes and get Cisco’s attention at the same time.

Meanwhile, Lisa was unconcerned. “Call him.”

“Oh, okay. I'm gonna call him….Mm-hmm.”

Lisa and Lucas just stared at him….well Lucas kept smirking at Barry as Cisco frowned at the pair.

“You really want me to call The Flash?” he asked

Before Lisa could answer, Lucas piped up, “We need his help too. Dad’s been kidnapped.”

The group seemed shock at this, glancing at each other until Cisco sighed. “Alright….we’ll meet you two, and I assume Heatwave at Star Labs in an hour.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………

“All right…” sighed the Flash, as he stared at the three criminals, “….so you really want us to just believe that Captain Cold was kidnapped?”

Mick growled at the disbelief in the man’s voice, but before he could say anything, Lucas stepped forwards. “I saw it happen….sorta.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Yeah! Last night, us three and Dad were knocking over the cashier cage at Central City Racetrack-“

“Does it physically pain your family not to rob people?” interrupted Caitlin.

Lucas grinned at her, “Why stop something you’re good at? Anyway, Papa torched the side entrance and we were loading everything into our van when someone crept up behind those three and knocked them out. I ran over to check on them and someone wacked me on the back of the head! We woke up and Dad was gone along with the cash!”

“How do we know this isn't some kind of a trap?” asked Caitlin.

Lisa smirked at her and glanced at the Flash, “If Lenny wanted Flash dead, he would have let Mardon, Simmons, and Bivolo take that honour, remember?” 

Glaring at Lucas and Lisa, the Flash nodded, “Yeah, I remember.”

“Good. Then you'll also recall that you owe Lenny a favour for saving your life. Time to make good on that debt, Flash.”

“I do not like her….” Growled Caitlin.

“Yeah, but she makes a point….” The Flash and Caitlin stared at Cisco after his statement, “…What? We should at least hear her out…Right?”

The Flash shook his head and sighed, “Even if I wanted to help, how are we supposed to find him?”

“Not a problem….” Answered Cisco, rushing to his computer, “….See, when I rebuilt the cold gun, I didn't have time to place a tracker on it, so I devised a method of locating it by borrowing some military technology. See, the gun works the same as thermal imaging, only instead of infrared heat signatures, it's looking for ultraviolet cold signatures….Whoa, look at that. The gun's UV thermal reading was last picked up at 5th and Hoyt eight minutes ago.”

The Flash glanced at the group, “All right. Let's see if you're a liar.”

And with that, he zipped away. Lucas grinned at Caitlin and Cisco, “So….what do you guys do around here for fun?”

…………………………………..

“I can’t believe we’re limited to this tiny room!” groaned Lucas, staring out at Caitlin and Cisco, “I’m bored!”

“Shut up” growled Mick, “I can’t believe we’re asking these goody-two shoes for help!”

Lisa rolled her eyes at the pair, “We need them…and we’ll be out of here before you know it.”

Sadly, that didn’t happen. After some frantic typing from Cisco, the Flash sped into the lab and scowled at the group. They were released from the room, and the Flash was clearly not happy.

“So your brother was not kidnapped. He was pulling a job…with your father.”

“What?” exclaimed the criminal group in unison.

“No…” Lisa shook her head in denial, “Lenny would never do that.”

“Oh, just like he would never try and kill The Flash with his cold gun.” Sneered Caitlin

Mick grunted, his eyes creased in return. “Are you sure it was his dad?” 

Cisco pulled up a prison rap sheet on the screen and the Flash nodded. “That's him….”

“Lewis Snart….” Caitlin strode up to the screen, “Convicted of larceny, armed robbery, aggravated assault, assault with a deadly weapon!“

“You have to believe us….” Begged Lisa, “…Lenny would never work with him. He's a bad guy.”

Caitlin sighed, “You and your entire family are criminals. Why should we trust anything you say?”

There was silence for a few moments, before Lisa pulled aside her jacket to reveal a long, jagged scar. “I didn't get this scar being a criminal…I got it being a daughter.”

Mick and Lucas stepped out of the way as Lisa stormed into another room, the pair glaring at the three ‘heroes’.

As the Flash moved to follow her, Cisco stepped in front of him and shook his head. “Let me go. I got this.”

He followed Lisa, and Lucas shook his head at Caitlin and the Flash. “Nice…you guys are Masters of sensitivity.”

…………………………….

Leonard took advantage of his Father being asleep, slipping away to the Saints and Sinners bar….maybe he’d see his son and Mick there. 

He could warn them.

He wasn’t that lucky…glancing up from the meal, he smirked at Barry. “Back from the dead so soon, Barry?” Silence, “Pass me the salt.”

Barry slid the salt across, “Don't spill. It's bad luck.”

Defiantly, Len tipped it on its side as Barry sighed at him. “Why are you working with Lewis? Lisa told us you hate him.”

‘Because he’ll kill my son’ thought Len….but he knew that he couldn’t say anything. He didn’t knew whether or not Lewis had spies in the bar.

“Things are…complicated with family…” he answered, “….as you know with your own parents, hmm?”

“Tell me what's going on. Let me help you.”

“Don't waste your time trying to save people who don't want to be saved.”

Barry shook his head, “Yeah, well, maybe it's not just about you, all right? I'm betting whatever you two are up to, innocent people are gonna get hurt.”

“Don't worry, I remember our deal. You leave me alone, I make sure no one dies.”

This caused Barry to chuckle in outraged disbelief, “All right…You're a criminal, Snart, but you live by a code. It sounds to me like Lewis doesn't, like he won't care if people die…That's why I can't leave this alone.”

Len knew this and hoped to hell that the Flash could save his son….but still, he couldn’t say anything like that. “Then everyone will know who The Flash is under that mask.”

“I don't care. I will take you down anyway…Both of you.”

Len smirked at this, getting up from the table. “We'll see about that…” He then walked away, “…Thanks for dinner.”

Without even bothering to hear Barry’s reply, Len strode out of the bar, trying not to think about his son.

……………………………………………….

Almost two hours later, Len found himself staring in horror at the headless body on the floor of the warehouse. “Y-you’ve put one of them in my s-son?!”

Lewis smirked at him, striding over to the body. “Yep…so I suggest you start listening and obeying, before my grandson ends up the same way as this poor fuck.” He kicked the body and chuckled. “Come on, we need to get rid of this.”

Len was still staring at the body in shock, causing Lewis to roll his eyes and sigh. Holding up the remote detonator, Lewis raised his eyebrow. “Five….four…thr-“

Seeing Len leap to attention, Lewis placed the remote back in his pocket.

“Now that’s the attitude I like to see…”

…………………………………………………………………………..

Barry was quick to pull Joe to one side after hearing about the decapitated victim’s (aka David Rutenberg) connection to Lewis Snart.

“I think this guy is part of Snart's crew….” Sighed Barry.

“So Snart put a bomb in him to keep him in line?”

“No, Snart wouldn't do that….but his father would.”

Joe frowned at this, “So Lewis is killing people, and Snart's still working with him? What happened with the deal you had?”

“Maybe he doesn't have a choice.”

“So you think Lewis put a bomb in his own son to force him to pull off a heist?”

Barry shook his head, “Snart still wouldn't do it. He'd dig the bomb out of his own head if he had to.”

“So it must be something else that Snart cares about?”

There was silence for a few moments, before Barry’s eyes lit up with realisation. “And we have three of those people in Star Labs. His sister. His partner…and his son.”

“So…they all have bombs in them.”

“I don’t know….I need to get back to the lab. Eventually, Lewis is going to want Leonard to cross a line, Cold may not want to cross. And then we could end up with more decapitated corpses on our hands.”

…………………………………..

“I’m gonna need you to repeat that….” Growled Mick, “…are you telling us, that that psycho has put a bomb in all of our heads?!”

“Or just one of you…” explained the Flash, “…and he’ll press the trigger if Leonard doesn’t do exactly as he says.”

The three criminals all stood there in silence….even Cisco wasn’t too chatty. “I’ll set up the equipment…” he muttered, striding over the microphone, “….Hey, Caitlin? We need you up here, like, right now.”

…………………………………..

“Okay…” sighed Caitlin as she glanced over Lisa’s readings, “…there’s no sign of bomb residue anywhere on you either.”

Lisa got up and frowned at the Flash, “But you said that-“

“Yes I did…” interrupted the Flash, “….but we’ve only tested you and Mick. There’s still one more person Leonard would do anything for.”

Everyone glanced over at Lucas, who seemed very reluctant to come over. “Come on guys….” He sighed, “…two out of three of us don’t have any bomb residue on us. What are the chances I will?!”

He yelped when his arm was grabbed by his Papa, who dragged him over to the machines. “The chances are way too high you brat….” Mick grunted, “…and I’m not taking that chance.”

Lucas grumbled and muttered when he was shoved onto the stool, wincing as a bright light shone in his face. He heard the computer beep as he was scanned.

“Oh, boy….” Muttered Cisco, staring at the screen.

This caused Lucas some concern, “What is it?”

“Kid, there are traces of thermite on your skin.” Winced Caitlin, her eyes still on the screen.

“Thermite?” grunted Mick, “Like an explosive?” 

“Not like an explosive-“

“-It's the bomb.” Interrupted Cisco, “When you were all knocked out, your grandad must have injected you with it.”

There was silence for a few moments, before Lucas turned to the Flash. “Let me just see if I’ve got this straight…my nutso grandpa has put a FUCKING bomb in my neck?!”

“Yes…” answered Cisco, “…and that is seriously messed up!”

Lisa nodded, “Yes….but Lenny would do anything for his son.”

“This is so not how I thought I would die…” groaned Lucas, running his hands through his hair in stress.

However, he soon stopped when he felt himself being pulled into a hug by his Papa. “You’re not gonna die kiddo…someone might though. Lewis has crossed the line this time, and Len knows it.”

Around an hour later, Lucas found himself being examined with the Flash holding a device up near where the bomb was. 

“The micro-bomb casing must be made of some kind of a ferromagnetic material…” muttered the Flash as Caitlin nodded in agreement.

“Once you hold it steady with the magnet, I can surgically excise it.”

Just as Lucas was about to protest, Cisco came running into the room. “Put the magnet down! This is a really concentrated bomb. It's gonna combust if it's exposed to magnetic friction and an oxidant.”

The Flash and Caitlin took a large step back as Mick frowned, “What's he talking about?”

Before any of the scientists could answer, Lucas piped up. “Air….” He sighed, “…the bomb will explode if it comes in contact with air.” He frowned at the shocked looks from the heroes, “A* in science bitches.”

Cisco tried to smile reassuringly at Lucas. “Don't worry, kid. We're gonna find another way to get it out. Scientific minds. Can we confer, please.”

As they went into another room, they could hear Caitlin. “What if Flash speed-“

The voices faded away as Lucas turned to his family. “Sooo…this isn’t looking very good.”

“They’ll figure something out…” reassured Lisa, “….you’ve just gotta give them time.”

“How much time?! Because sooner or later, Dad’s going to refuse to do something and Grandad is gonna kill me!”

Mick and Lisa glanced at each other in concern, only turning away from Lucas to watch the Flash speed away.

Cisco came out of the room and sighed, “The Flash has a plan to infiltrate Lewis’s gang to try and stop them and stall for time….we can do this, I swear!”

“You’d better…” grunted Mick, “…or Lewis won’t be the only one who dies.”

…………………………………………………………….

Len resisted the urge to groan when he heard familiar footsteps entering the warehouse, “These visits are getting old….”

“Third time's a charm.”

Powering up his cold gun, Len stood up and turned to face the intruder, “I told you, I don't need saving.”

“But your son does….I know your dad put a bomb in the kid. Lewis told you he'd kill him if you didn't help him, right? Look don't worry. My team's working on a way to remove the bomb.”

Inwardly, Len cheered. Now that he knew that the Flash and his techies were involved, he felt the pressure on his shoulders lessen slightly….well, until he heard his Father behind him.

“I hope you got that gun of yours ready to blast 'cause-Who the hell's this?” 

Len chose to remain silent as Barry grinned at Lewis. “Um, Lenny said you needed new tech….”he held out his hand, “What's up, I'm Sam.”

Len turned to his Dad, who clearly didn’t believe Barry. “Heh! You tellin' me you think this kid can crack a Draycon keypad?”

‘Oh God’ thought Len, ‘Please don’t mess this up Barry.’

To Len’s surprise, Barry just chuckled, “Uh, I did help Snart steal the Kahndaq Dynasty Diamond from Central City Museum last year. That was locked up behind an AmerTek Industries Phase Three Suppression Door with a Draycon XL-1218 keypad.So…

Trying not to sigh in relief, Len smirked at Barry, “Couldn't have done it without him.”

“Draycon's my jam!”

“Ah….” Lewis stepped closer to Barry and grinned, “…Okay, Sam. Let's go.”

“Right now?”

“You got a problem with that?”

“No, all good….Can't wait.”

Len grinned at the startled look on Barry’s face, pushing pas him to follow his Father.

He got himself into this mess…he can get themselves both out.

…………………………………………………………………

As the group strode into the museum, with Barry glancing at Len every so often, Lewis was quick to take the lead. “Keep quiet and follow my lead.”

Len sneered, “Just like old times.”

They walked up to the guard desk and Lewis grinned at the two on duty, “You watching the Diamonds' game?”

“Yeah, the Salamanders are killing 'em. IDs….What floor are you going to?”

Len tensed as the guards scanned the ID’s over and over again, only for them to be rejected every time….his Dad would be resorting to desperate measures soon.

Out of the corner of his eye, Len spotted his Father reaching into one of the bags of the cleaning trolley. However, before Lewis could do anything, Barry stepped forwards. “Hey, what's the hold up, guys? I mean, you wanna call management and explain why the toilets are still overflowing? We're all on the clock, right?”

The guards glanced at each other, before agreeing. “Yeah, you guys are good to go.”

“Thanks.”

Len rolled his eyes as the group headed down the corridor, with Lewis smirking as they left. “You enjoy the game, guys.”

“Diamonds don't stand a chance.”

“Not tonight they don't.”

A little over ten minutes later, Len sighed sadly as he stared down at the body of the hero, shot in cold blood by his Father….and now his son had no chance. “I'm sorry, Barry.”

……………………………………………………………………………

Meanwhile, back at the lab, Lucas stared at Cisco and the…weapon in his hand? “What are you gonna do to me with that thing?”

“Operating pressure on this is over 1,000 PSI. This will easily suck the micro-bomb out of your neck and into the barrel of this with one high-powered shot….There is one slight risk.”

Lucas widened his eyes in mock surprise, “You mean besides shooting a high-powered weapon directly against my neck?!”

Cisco winced, “The gun does use compressed air.”

Despite the worried look on Lucas’s face, Lisa stepped forwards and gently grabbed Cisco’s arm. “We trust you, Cisco….we may not show it, but we do.”

……………………………………………………………….

“Okay, son….” Grinned Lewis as they entered the corridor leading to the diamonds, only to be met with a barrier of lasers, “…Make me proud.”

Len sneered, “Like I care.” Resisting the urge to shoot his Father, he quickly froze the lasers.

“Ha, now what?”

Len simply glared at him, putting his hands up into the air and striding forwards, breaking the frozen lasers as he went. In a few seconds, he was near the safe. “I told you, I had a better way past the lasers.”

Lewis came rushing over, “Step aside….Time for another lesson.” As he quickly got out his safe-breaking kit, Len glanced up at the ceiling.

“You've got 125 seconds before the system defrosts.”

“Then what?”

“Sirens.”

Within a few seconds, Lewis had cracked open the safe to reveal several, little diamonds….Len would never say it out-loud, but he was impressed with his Father’s skills.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Lucas tensed as Cisco stepped closer to him, ‘weapon’ in hand’.

“How do you feel?” asked Cisco.

Lucas glanced at Cisco, and then at his Papa, before shrugging, “Like we should have put down some plastic.”

Cisco couldn’t hold back a chuckle, and Mick smirked slightly before schooling his expression into something sterner. “It's not funny brat….not funny at all.”

“Yeah…” sighed Lucas,”…but I totally made you smile!”

Cisco glanced over at Lisa and Mick, who were clearly worried. “Okay, ready?” he asked.

Taking a deep breath, Lucas nodded, “Shoot me, Cisco.”

He squeezed his eyes shut, tensing in preparation for the pain. Suddenly, a computer beeped, causing everyone in the room to jump slightly.

“It's d-Flash!” stammered Caitlin as the Flash’s voice came over the speaker.

//Cisco, how's it going with Lucas? \\\

“Uh, kind of in the middle of it right now, buddy!”

//All right, we need that bomb out. The heist is going down right now.\\\

………………………………………………………………..

Back with the diamonds, sirens began to blare.

“Time's up.” Sneered Len.

Well, let's get out of here then…”

Before the pair could leave, the Flash suddenly appeared in front of them. Len, whilst internally relieved, aimed his gun at the hero in order not to arouse his Father’s suspicion.

“Only place you're going is back to Iron Heights, Lewis.”

Lewis chuckled at this, “Ah, you wanna bet?”

“Do I wanna bet?”

…………………………………………….

“Do not bet!” yelled Cisco at the communicator, trying to be focused on the task, “Give me a minute!”

………………………………………………

“Tell me this…” began the Flash, stepping forwards slightly, “….what kind of man puts a bomb in his own grandson?”

“A very rich man….besides, the kid’s not my grandson. The brat isn’t related to me by blood….and that’s thicker than water. And as far as I’m concerned, the kid’s just another sign of my son’s weakness!” Lewis turned to Len, bomb trigger in hand. “Shoot him, son.”

Len hesitated…and that was unacceptable in Lewis’s eyes.

“Kill him or you'll never see your son alive!”

………………………………………………………………

“Do it, Cisco.” Whispered Lisa.

With a deep, shuddering breath, Cisco pulled the trigger and something shot into the containment area of the device.

“Jesus Fuck!” yelled Lucas, hands clamping down on the side of his head, “Shit that hurt!”

“Better than getting your head blown off brat!”

Cisco whooped in glee. “I got the bomb out!” 

…………………………………………………………………..

“Your son's safe.”

Len immediately relaxed slightly at those words, his gun lowering for a split second…until his Father turned to face him in shock. Without hesitation, Len aimed and fired at the man, piercing Lewis’s heart with an icy shard.

“Aah!” cried out Lewis in surprise and pain, “You're working with The Flash? I thought you hated him?” 

“Not as much as I hate you.” Len sneered.

Lewis fell to the ground dead, and Len soon knelt by him…not resisting when the Flash gently took his gun off him.

“Your son was safe….” Whispered the Flash in confusion, “…Why did you do that?”

“He threatened to stop my son’s heart…” began Len, glancing up at the hero, “…Only fair I actually break his.”

…………………………………………………… 

“I’m getting grey hairs ‘cause of you kid” growled Mic as Lucas poked and prodded at the wound on his upper neck.

Lucas smirked at him, “You don’t have much hair to go grey!”

Before Mick could reply, the Flash zipped into the lab. “We stopped your Father…” he stated to Lisa, “….he won’t be bothering you anymore.”

“And Lenny?” interrupted Mick, before Lisa could say anything, “Where’s Lenny?!”

The Flash flinched slightly, “Snart….Snart killed Lewis after knowing that his son was safe. I had no choice but to take him in.”

There was a stunned silence, before Lucas stepped forwards. “Y-you arrested him?”

“I’m sorry, but he killed someone and-“

Before he could finish, he had to dive to the side as Lucas came rushing at him. “YOU BASTARD!” screamed the teen, “BASTARD!”

“Hey, hey, hey!” scolded Mick, lifting his son up with an arm around his stomach.

“NO!” Lucas screamed angrily, “Dad was trying to save me! Lewis was trying to kill me, so Dad was protecting me!”

“Lewis would have been arrested and-“

“-And then he would have got out again and come straight after us! Possibly finishing the job!”

The Flash sighed at this, “I know you don’t think this was the right thing to do, but I couldn’t just let Len get away with this and-“

“-You’re not a hero!” screamed Lucas, “If you were a hero then you wouldn’t have taken Dad away from us!”

Mick, knowing that his son was very close to murder himself, took several steps back with Lucas still in his arm. “There’s no use kid….” He mumbled, “….come on, we need to leave.”

Upon setting Lucas back down on the ground, the teen rushed towards the Flash again. However, his wrist was grabbed by his aunt as she tugged him away. Mick and Lisa remained silent as they strode out of the lab, dragging Lucas behind them….but Lucas couldn’t restrain himself.

“You’re not a hero!” he spat out, “Heroes help people! Heroes know the difference between a senseless killing and protecting someone you love! You’re just a glorified pig! I hope one day you have to kill someone to save and loved one! And then the world will see just how much of a hero the Flash really is!”

Lucas was putting up a fight, so Mick lifted him into the air and flung him over his shoulder, ignoring how his son kicked, punched and screamed. “Kid we need to go!” he yelled, “NOW!”

The Flash watched the trio leave, his face solemn at Lucas’s words. Without another word, he zipped out of the lab, leaving behind a stunned Cisco and Caitlin.

………………………………………………………………………….

Barry glanced around the phone room, partially avoiding eye contact with Leonard, “Last time I was in Iron Heights, I was visiting my Dad.”

Len smirked, “Yeah, me too.”

“And yet you killed him.”

“He deserved it.” Barry chuckled at this, causing Len to scowl slightly, “Is that funny to you?”

“No…” Barry shook his head, “What's funny is I finally figured out your secret.”

“And what secret would that be?” 

“You'd do anything to protect your son.”

Len smirked again, “Well, I know your secret too. Better hope I don't talk in my sleep.”

“You won't. Today just proved what I've always known…There's good in you, Snart. And you don't have to admit it to me, but there's a part of you that knows you don't have to let your past define you. A part of you that really wants to be more than just a criminal.”

“So I should be a hero like you, Barry? What exactly does that pay again?”

“It's just a matter of time….” Barry glanced around the room, “…Something you'll have a lot of in here.”

Len was clearly resisting the urge to smirk at him, “Not as much as you think. Be seeing you.”


	19. Running to Stand Still AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)
> 
> This one-shot takes place six months after the previous chapter, and the Flash and the Rogues are already an established part of Central City.

Sirens blazed throughout the bank, and a lithe figure escaped out of an already broken window, leaving behind two unconscious guards and one guard suffering from frost-bite on his gun hand. The figure (dressed in a black parka with goggles) ran down an alleyway, towards the car he had hotwired earlier that evening.

However, before he could reach the vehicle, he was dragged into a nearby, rundown building, with a mouth placed over his mouth to stop him from yelling. 

“Quiet Lucky…” muttered a familiar voice behind him, “….The Flash will be sniffing around here soon.”

Lucas mumbled against the hand, pulling it away from his face. “I know…” he hissed, “…that’s why I left the guard with frostbite. Mr goody-two shoes will have to take the guy to the hospital.”

The figure pulled him further into the warehouse where he finally released Lucas, who span around and aimed the gun at the man. “Mark….” He growled, “…what do you want?”

Mark Mardon raised his hands in surrender, “Careful with that Lucky, it isn’t a toy!”

“I know…now I’ll ask again, what do you want?”

“…How long has it been since you and your Dad sprung us from that lorry?”

“About four years.”

Mark whistled in amazement, “Well you grew up well. You’re going to break some hearts when you get older.”

“I’ll break your heart right now. What. Do. You. Want?!”

Sighing, Mark seemed to finally sense the tension. “I need your help. I owe your Dad a huge favour, so when I heard that he’d been locked up, I made my way here….I’m going to break him out, along with another friend of ours.”

Lucas frowned, “And you need my help why?”

Gesturing at the gun, Mark grinned. “That wasn’t a present to you from the police….you got that yourself from a secure police lock-up centre.”

Lucas shrugged, “If they’re going to have poor security and even poorer locks, then they’re asking for trouble….I just took what was owed to me.”

“Uh-huh…” Mark glanced around, “…and where’s your hot-headed Father? I could do with his help as well.”

This caused Lucas to chuckle slightly, “Sure…if you really want a bordering alcoholic to help you break into a high-security prison.”

“Pardon?!”

“Papa….ever since Dad was arrested, he’s been going to every club in the Central City and Keystone area and getting wasted. Every night.” Lucas sighed, lowering the gun, “….He’s not much good for anything.”

Mark nodded in understanding, “Well….maybe we can do it without him.” He sighed, throwing a friendly arm over Lucas’s shoulders, “If I gave you the basic plans for an electronic lock, how quickly can you learn how to unlock it?”

“Depends. How much are you gonna pay me?”

“…Will you still accept sweets?”

“No.”

“Damn.”

…………………………………………….

2 weeks later (with Lucas’s wallet a little heavier), the pair found themselves outside of the jail. “I can’t believe I didn’t get a family discount….” Grumbled Mark as he summoned up a heavy snowstorm, “….or that this doesn’t count as an early Christmas present?!”

Lucas smirked at him, “My services aren’t cheap Uncle Mark…and breaking into a prison is even dearer.”

Mark continued to grumble, making the storm even heavier as he shattered the glass of the prison and blew open the steel doors. As the pair strode inside, Mark grinned at the guards. “Let it snow!”

Once the area was clear, Lucas stepped into the prison. “You are such a drama queen…” he sighed, “…what’s next Elsa?”

“When you’re a super-villain, you’ll have to use lines like that too. It’s in the job description.”

“I look forward to it….what’s next?”

Mark headed towards the area where he knew Leonard Snart was being kept, “Head down the East corridor, at the end is the person you’re meant to break out….you’ll know instantly who they are.”

Lucas nodded and headed in that direction. The corridor was long and dark, but upon reaching a door at the end, Lucas could guess who he was meant to break out…the laughter gave it away.

He broke into the room and rolled his eyes at the figure behind the glass, “Hello Uncle James…”

“Well if it isn’t little Lucky!” cheered James Jesse (aka Trickster), “Oh Santa did get my letter!”

Lucas rolled his eyes as he reached into his satchel and pulled out what he would need. “Yeah, yeah. Just keep quiet, I need to concentrate.”

“So rude….I don’t remember teaching you such naughty behaviour!”

“You didn’t teach me anything…now be quiet!”

“You’re not my Dad!” whined Jesse, chuckling as Lucas groaned and slammed his head against the glass.

He reached into his bag again and pulled out a bag of sweets, shoving them through the letter-box opening. “Here take these…and try not to choke.”

Thankfully, James took the hint and began to stuff the treats into his mouth, grabbing a piece of paper and getting to work. Sighing in relief, Lucas turned his attention back to the lock and went to work.

After around 10 minutes of frantic working the door to the room opened which prompted James to spin around in his cell.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” sighed a familiar voice from behind Lucas, although he chose to continue working. They needed to get out of here and sentiment wouldn’t help.

“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!” sang James, holding out a paper chain.

Lucas heard Mark chuckle behind him, “That’s right Jesse….how you doing with the lock kiddo?”

“Give me a couple more minutes…” sighed Lucas, “...if Uncle James hadn’t distracted me when I came in, I would have been done sooner.”

Almost as soon as he finished the sentence, the lock beeped and the glass door creaked open. Triumphantly, Lucas leapt to his feet, laughing as his Uncle James ran out, whooping as he went.

“Freedom!” cheered the Trickster.

As the older man continued to celebrate, following Mark out of the door, Lucas packed his stuff away and turned to face his Dad.

“You’ve been busy…” chuckled Len, eyes scanning his son, “…I hope you’re getting paid for this?”

Lucas could only stare at him in silence, causing Len to frown in concern. “Lucky?”

Further silence, until finally, Lucas ran forwards and leapt at his Dad. “Dad!” he sobbed, burying his face into the man’s chest

Len sighed in understanding, wrapping his arms around his son. “I know…” he whispered, “….I know.”

“Hey!” Mark appeared in the doorway, “We need to get out of here!”

………………………………………………………………………….

Later on in the night (when Len and Lucas had a proper reunion), the small group found themselves in an abandoned toy warehouse….and James clearly felt right at home.

“Deck the halls with body parts of a girl named Holly, fa la la la la, la la laa laaaa!”

Lucas smirked at him, “I don’t remember those being the lyrics?”

“Oh I’m tremendously creative…” James winked at Lucas and Len, “…that I can tell you.”

Mark, who had just entered, sighed. “You’d better be, I didn’t break you out-I didn’t break either of you out because I wanted friends!”

Ignoring Lucas’s indignant cry of ‘We broke them out, not just you!’ James clutched a teddy to his chest.

“That is not the holiday spirit, Marky Mark!” exclaimed the man, “Christmas is a time for togetherness…and what says togetherness more than mass graves, hmmmmm?!”

He smirked at Len and Lucas, who rolled their eyes. Len turned to Mark, choosing to ignore the Trickster. “So why did you two break us out?”

“Well I owed you one…” answered Mark, “…and this guy, well he’s just crazy. That’s a compliment.”

James smirked and nodded in agreement, still clutching the teddy to him.

“And we all want the same thing.” Continued Mark.

Lucas grinned, “Fashion advice? Because I notice nobody’s complimented me on my kick-ass boots yet.”

“To see the Flash dead!” Mark exclaimed, deciding to ignore the teen (although Len did nod his approval at the boots).

James grinned, “Well that was more of a New Year’s Resolution, but hey…I’m flexible.”

“That hasn’t gone so well for anyone in this room, what makes you think this time will be any different?” Len sighed, moving to stand opposite Mark.

“Three against one…plus that one isn’t what he once was.” Mark chuckled, “You see another speedster, dressed all in black nearly took him out a few weeks ago…he’s vulnerable, he’s weak!”

“It’s a mistake to underestimate him.”

“With my powers, his…flair and the combined brains of you and your son, we can put him in the ground for good!”

Lucas, who had moved next to his Dad, frowned. “Tell us your plan…”

“Tell me you’re in.”

Len sneered, “We’re thinking about it.”

“What’s the matter? A few months in the clink make you soft Snart?”

Before Len could react, Lucas grabbed his Dad’s gun from the holster and aimed it at Mark, smirking at how the man took a step back in shock. “Not funny Bastard…” hissed the teen.

After recovering from his shock, Mark summoned a ball of ice in his hands. “Okay…if you want to play with the big boys, you’d better be ready to fire a killing shot brat!”

“Boys, boys, boys…” interrupted James, “…play nice! Mellow out Martin. Don’t get in a snit Snart! Here’s an idea! Let’s all go out, have a few drinks, kill some carollers, we’ll all feel better!”

Mark frowned, dissolving the ice ball as Lucas powered down the gun (sheepishly handing it back to his Dad). “All right…” Mark sighed, “…so what’s it going to be Snarts?”

Len and Lucas glanced at each other, before Len answered for the two of them. “We’re in…for now.”

Nodding, Mark turned to James and waved him over to the table, possibly to go over the finer details of the plan. Once they were out of earshot, Lucas turned to his Dad and raised an eyebrow, “Are we really going to-“

“No…” interrupted Len, “…come on, we’ve got places to be.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“Please tell me we’re going to Papa after this!” called out Lucas from the kitchen, “Because he’s slowly pickling himself!”

Len glanced around the unfamiliar living room, “I’m sure you’re exaggerating!”

“Ha! I wish….” There was the sound of cups rattling and bags shifting before Lucas groaned, “…They don’t have any mini marshmallows! This is a crime against hot cocoa!”

“So dramatic.” Sighed Len, seating himself on an armchair, “I don’t know who you get that off.”

Lucas chuckled, choosing not to answer as he strode into the living room and handed his Dad a cute reindeer mug. 

“How did you found out where Barry lived anyway?”

Lucas perched on the arm of the armchair and shrugged, “I hacked into public records….when you first went away, I entertained the thought of revenge for a while.”

“What made you change your mind?”

“…I don’t know.”

The pair sat in silence for a few moments, waiting in the dimly lit room….until the front door creaked open and Barry plus a young female entered.

“Do you think that he's gonna be okay?” asked the woman, who the pair believed was Iris West.

Barry nodded, “I do, yeah, I think it’s just a lot to take in. He just needs a little time to process it.”

Obviously catching the criminal pair out of the corner of their eyes, Barry and Iris twisted around to face them. “Ho, ho, ho.” Chuckled Len.

Barry and Iris stood there in silence as Lucas took another sip of his drink, “Mmm, Cocoa isn't cocoa without the mini marshmallows. And you're out…..I checked.”

A split second later, Lucas found himself knocked to the floor as Barry pinned his Dad against the wall. “Are you out of your mind?” yelled the hero, “Breaking into my home?!” 

“Careful….” Chuckled Len, his eyes tracking Lucas who was slowly making his way over to Iris, “….Lucas and I made an upgrade to the cold gun. If I release my grip from the handle, the core goes critical. You might make it….she won't.”

“Especially if you have to beat a bullet as well…” Stated Lucas, holding a regular revolver at Iris’s head, “….now drop him.”

Barry was very quick to release Len, who smirked and stepped away from the wall, gesturing for Lucas to put down the gun. Lucas obeyed before smiling at Iris, “We’re big fans you know. We read your article on the disappearing middle class. Strong point of view. Nice prose style.”

Clearly not impressed, Iris backed away from the teen, “Yeah, well, who needs a Pulitzer when you have two homicidal maniacs seal of approval.”

“Didn't Barry tell you?” began Len, “I had a rough childhood.”

“Everyone in this room had a rough childhood. Get over it!”

Lucas glanced around the house and rose any eyebrow, “I know Barry had a rough childhood, but you? No.”

Ignoring the teen, Barry shook his head, “Why are you two here, Snart?”

“We got the Noel spirit, wanted to give you a gift….Mardon and the kid broke Jesse and me out to kill you. Jesse's on board, of course, he's shaking with excitement. Us, we’re gonna pass.”

“Why?” asked Iris, “You grow a conscience?”

“Mardon wants revenge. Jesse wants chaos. We're just not…invested like they are.”

“You mean there's no money in it for you.”

Lucas smirked at her, “We were never much for non-profit work.”

“If you're not in with them…” began Barry, “…then tell me where they are.”

Stepping forwards, Len shook his head, “Nah, consider us more of a secret Santa. Besides, you and your friends love to solve a good mystery.”

The two criminals shouldered past the other two….but Barry wasn’t done yet. “You are both so full of it! I think my friends and I saved your son's life, your life kid, and you can't stand owing me a marker…I hate to break it to you, but that that right there is called honour.”

Lucas groaned at this. “Go on, make your pitch. I can see you're dying to.”

“Help me stop them.”

Len and Lucas glanced at each other, before Len shrugged, “Sorry, I'm not interested in being a hero.”

“Well, you're doing a pretty lousy job of being a villain this week.”

“…Merry Christmas, Barry.”

Before Barry could say anything else, Len and Lucas quickly hurried out of the door and slammed it shut behind them. As they strode down the street, Lucas turned to his Dad. “We didn’t make any upgrades to the cold gun….let alone a destructive one like that.”

“True….but he didn’t know that. When did you get a real gun?”

“When I was forced to surrender the cold gun….to you.”

“What happened to that knife you stole?”

“Dad, nobody really uses knives anymore…you never bring a knife to a gun-fight.”

“Fine, fine, fine…” Len held his hands up surrender, frowning as Lucas made his way over to a nearby parked car, “….what are you doing now?”

“You wanna see Papa don’t you?”

“….Are you stealing a car?!”

“I’ve learnt a lot of vital skills in these last few months. Are you coming or not?”

“…Fine, but I’m driving.”

“Daaaad!”

“I’m. Driving.”

………………………………………………………………

Upon arriving at the warehouse (with Lucas still sulking in the passenger seat), they could hear a ruckus from inside. Without even waiting for his Dad, Lucas ran in, throwing open the door. “Papa?!”

“Lucky?” came a voice from further in the warehouse, as Mick appeared around a pile of boxes, “Where the hell have you been?!” The man clutched his head in pain, clearly hungover, as he glared at his teenage son, “I’ve been worried sick!”

Lucas rolled his eyes, silently gesturing for Len to wait outside. “I bet you were being sick as well….where did you go last night?”

“Piss off brat…” groaned Mick, “…I need something to knock me out.”

“I will happily volunteer for the job.”

Mick simply glared at him, practically throwing himself onto the sofa. There was silence for a few minutes, before Lucas sighed. “I have an early Christmas present for you…not that you really deserve it.”

“Better be another bottle of whiskey.”

“…I just acquired you a bottle-No, you know what, never mind. It’s better than alcohol.”

Mick glanced at him in confusion, hi eye widening as Len made his way into the warehouse. “Lenny?” He whispered, stumbling to his feet. “Lenny?”

Lucas stepped to the side as Len strode forwards, pulling his partner into a kiss….and another kiss….and a much longer kiss.

“Alright!” groaned Lucas, throwing his hands in the air, “I’m going, I’m going!”

He stormed out of the door, only pausing to glance back at the pair….and regretted it.

“My eyes!”


	20. Legends Of Tomorrow Pilot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)
> 
> This one-shot takes place about a year after the previous chapter, and the Flash and the Rogues are already an established part of Central City.

Lucas whooped in glee as he and his parents sped through the corridor of the Central City Money Exchange, bags full of cash. They darted outside, with Mick and Len pushing their son behind them when security guards armed their guns at them.

“Drop your weapons!”

“Ah, fry, you little piggies!” laughed Mick, firing at the men. As they were distracted, the trio ran to their get-away vehicle.

“A minivan?” groaned Lucas as he clambered into the back, “Really, Dad?”

Len chuckled, lifting a box of diapers up and chucking it to the back, “Cops'll never hassle a dad buying diapers in the middle of the night. Used to work with you all the time!”

“I’m fifteen now!”

Mick simply laughed at the pair, quickly pulling onto the highway and speeding down it as they were closely followed by the police. Staring ahead, Lucas frowned when he saw a figure standing in the middle of the road. “Ummmm, Papa?!”

“What the-“ “Watch it!” 

The last thing the three saw for a while was a bright, white light.

………………………………………………………………………

The next thing Lucas remembered was waking up in between his Dad and Papa….and the killer headache that he had. “Aah!” he groaned, “What the hell!”

Mick seemed to agree, “What a headache!”

“Stein?” groaned Len, “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I'm as ignorant as you, for once.”

Lucas glanced to either side of him, frowning as a number of other people all sat up, including a hot-as-hell blonde. “Where are we?” she asked.

“Why don't you ask the dude who knocked us out and kidnapped us? British dude with a flashy thing? Ring any bells?” This time it was a young teenager, probably not much older than Lucas himself.

Everyone’s attention was soon grabbed when a British accent came from the edge of the roof. “The name's Rip Hunter. I'm from East London….Oh, and the future.”

Lucas and Mick both glanced at each other, before grinning and reaching for their weapons. “Nice to meet you, Rip.” Growled Mick.

“Uh, while you were incapacitated, I may have tampered with your weapons. I've assembled you all because I need your help. The future of the world is in peril because of a man by the name of Vandal Savage.”

“That can't be….” Stated a man in funny clothing, “….We destroyed him.”

His female partner nodded in agreement, “Yeah, the Green Arrow and Flash helped us do it.”

“And therein lay the problem.” Rip again, “Unless you or Mr Hall deliver the death blow, Savage can be restored from but a single cell.”

This was too much for Lucas, “What the hell are you talking about?” he groaned, his head still aching slightly. He narrowed his eyes at the man, knowing that Rip was the same man he had seen outside the club over two years ago…and the man in the robotic suit behind him was also similar looking.

“Vandal is immortal….” Answered funny clothed man, “…Kendra and I reincarnate.”

The blonde nodded in understanding, “Yeah, I've done that.”

Mick frowned at this, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder in order to pull him to safety if needed. “And what the hell does this Randall guy got to do with us?” he growled at Rip.

“Vandal. In the future, he will employ the evil he's perfected over his long life, and the power he has amassed throughout history, to finally conquer the world. I've been tasked with assembling an elite team to stop him.”

“How?” The blonde again.

“To travel through time!” 

Lucas held back a chuckle at Rip’s dramatic gestures as the man continued. “To capture Savage before he grows into the monster he becomes.”

Len gently pushed his son forwards, “You got the wrong guy….” He sighed “…’Hero’ ain't on my resume.”

“Or mine.” Mick interrupted Rip before he could speak up.

Lucas nodded in agreement, “Or mine.”

“I know it's difficult for you to fathom…” Rip seemed annoyed at their refusal, “…but where-when I'm from, the year 2166, you and everyone on this roof aren't just considered heroes…You're legends.”

Lucas noticed how the robotic suit guy seemed to perk up like an eager puppy. “Legends?”

“I, um, I hate to nit-pick, but doesn't a legend have to be dead?” asked Stein.

“Yeah, see, uh, that's a deal breaker for me, so I'm gonna pass.” The other teenager again.

“Yep…” grinned Lucas, “…I like breathing. Consider it a hobby of mine….and dying isn’t on my new year’s list.”

Rip sighed again, “It's dangerous for any of you to know too much about your own futures, but I am here because each of you, as individuals, is destined for greatness.”

“I could get behind that.”

‘Seriously...’ thought Lucas, ‘…he’s just a puppy in a fancy suit.’

Rip strode past the three criminals, “And, because if you don't follow me, this is what is in store for your world 150 years from now.”

He held up a little hand-held device, which projected an image of Central City in flames into the distance. Things were flying over the city and firing down at it…it was chaos. Lucas glanced over at his Papa, only to roll his eyes…Mick was besotted with the sight.

“I could have chosen any time and any place…” continued Rip, “…Of all the people who ever lived, I chose you nine. I certainly hope that you won't let me….and the world down.”

There was silence amongst the group as Rip strode over to Stein, handing him a small scrap of paper. “If your answer is yes, meet me at this address in 36 hours.”

With that, he left the group alone. Stein glanced at the rest of the group and shrugged. “I’ll read the address out shall I?”

He didn’t wait for an answer before doing so, and soon after that, the group separated. “Come on…” sighed Len, “…We need to get home and think about this.”

“What?” growled Mick, “You can’t be-“

“-We’ll discuss it later.”

…………………………………………………..

A couple of hours later, Lucas was sitting cross-legged on the floor of their temporary apartment, a Captain America comic in hand. His Dad was lying on the sofa, reading over a TV magazine and his Papa was working on the heat gun, sparks flying off of his tools.

They had recently had a minor discussion regarding Rip and his quest. Len stated that he wanted to go….much to Mick and Lucas’s surprise.

“Can’t believe you’re thinking of hooking up with the Englishman!” Mick yelled over the whirring of his tools, “We're thieves. Crooks. Criminals.” He switched the tools off and strode over to the fridge to grab a beer, “I have no desire to save the world. Especially 100 years after I'm dead.”

Without even looking up from his magazine, Len sighed. “He said across time, Mick. What about the years before? Before fingerprints and surveillance cameras and DNA analysis. Why did we become criminals?”

“Because we hate working and we love money.” Answered Lucas, grinning at his Dad, who simply rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the sofa.

“We could steal the Mona Lisa straight off Da Vinci's easel…” exclaimed Len, “…snatch the Hope Diamond before it was discovered. This is everything we got into thieving for in the first place…More than everything.”

Lucas decided not to mention that the Mona Lisa wouldn’t be as valuable unfinished. He and his Papa glanced at each other, before Mick shook his head in exasperation, “You want me in, I'm in…But I'm not gonna be anyone's hero.”

Len smirked at him, before turning his attention to Lucas. “And you Lucky?”

“Time travel. Thieving. Hot girls…” Lucas grinned, “…convince me no further.”

“I think those girls are a little old for you.”

Lucas shrugged, “A guy can hope….hey, do you guys think Rip looks like that Doctor Who companion. Rory what’s-his-name?”

“I think that would be too much a coincidence Lucky.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

The next day, Lucas and his parents made their way towards the location (in a stolen van of course). Once arriving, they joined up with the other members of the group, with the exception of Stein and the other young teen.

“Nothing….” Muttered Mick, “….what a surprise.”

Lucas grinned at him as they made their way to an empty courtyard, where Stein and the teen (who was asleep in an awesome silver convertible).

“Professor!” greeted Len, “This is the place.”

The young man who was in the suit frowned, “I think we're being punked. Do people still say ‘punked’?”

“No.” “Fuck no.” answered both the blonde and Lucas at the same

Mick gestured at the young teen, “I see your buddy threw himself a going-away party.”

“Yes…” Stein winced slightly, “…I believe he drank something that didn't quite agree with him.

Len and Lucas glanced at each, and smirked before Len glanced at the other young woman. “You don't look too happy to be here.”

“Perceptive.”

Suddenly, from out of seemingly nowhere, Rip appeared. “Well, I see you've all decided to come! Well then, we can be on our way.”

Len crossed his arms and frowned, “I ain't footing it anywhere.”

“A Time Master's sacred charge is to do no harm to the timeline. Can you imagine what a time-ship would look like in, say, Victorian England?” 

Stein seemed amazed with this, “Holographic indigenous camouflage projection!” he gasped.

Rip grinned, “Indeed….” He pressed a button on a device to reveal a large, clearly futuristic ship, “…It's called the Waverider. It's been my ship for over a decade.” He glanced behind him, “Shall we?”

Len and Lucas were staring at the ship in shock, walking forwards as Rip strode towards the Waverider. Lucas grabbed his Dad’s coat sleeve and grinned at him. “It’s like a cross between Doctor Who and Star Wars! Nerd-gasm much?!”

Len smirked, “You’re such a nerd.”

“Yeah, well I got it off you!”

Glancing around, Lucas saw Mick helping Stein carry the young, unconscious (drugged) man into the ship. Meanwhile, he and his Dad were following the blonde girl, with Lucas choosing to walk a couple of steps behind the pair….so as not to interrupt the conversation of course.

“I consider myself a broad-minded individual, but this is a lot to take in.” drawled Len, smirking at the blonde.

“And why are you telling me this?”

“You seem to be the only other person on this boat who isn’t a super genius or a reincarnated freak-show.”

“Actually I was dead for a year.”

The small group stopped in the middle of the corridor and Len shrugged, “Hey, we’re just trying to make conversation.”

The blonde smirked at him, glancing back at Lucas, “Yeah, I can tell by the way your kid’s staring at my ass.”

Without waiting for a reply, she strode away. Len turned to his son and raised an eyebrow, “Really? Where are your manners?”

“It was just a quick look!”

“Without her permission…you will be apologising of course.”

Lucas nodded in silent agreement, following his Dad into a large room of the ship, with several chairs in it.

“How does a vessel of this size function without a crew?” asked Stein.

“I don't need one. I have Gideon.”

Suddenly, a large blue head appeared in the middle of the central console. “Welcome aboard. I am Gideon, an interactive artificial consciousness programmed to operate this vessel's critical systems and aid Captain Hunter in his mission.”

Len glanced at Rip, “Captain?”

“Gideon's been working on helping me locate Vandal Savage.”

“I thought you said he's pretty active in the 22nd century.” Puppy man (who Lucas over-heard being called Palmer) seemed confused.

“Perhaps engaging Savage at the height of his powers isn't the best strategy.”

Rip seemed to agree with Stein and nodded, “Indeed. Unfortunately, Savage has kept his movements hidden throughout history. Not even Gideon can determine where or when we can find him. But I have the next best thing: the man who can.”

He wandered over to the central console, “Professor Aldus Boardman. Professor Boardman is the world's leading well, only expert on Vandal Savage. We're gonna pay him a little visit.”

“Course plotted for St.Roch, New Orleans.” Stated Gideon, “October 17, 1975.”

Rip seated himself in the obvious Captain chair. “I suggest you all strap yourselves in. Temporal navigation isn't something one wants to be standing up for.”

Everyone raced to a seat, with Lucas even whooping a little bit in excitement. In a row of three chairs, he sat at the far left, with Len sitting next to him. “Getting a little excited are we?” he whispered.

“It’s like Doctor Who…this is my childhood fantasy!”

“Even I’ve gotta agree with the kid…” chuckled Mick, “…Time travel. Cool.”

“Some of you may experience some slight discomfort.” Stated Rip, “In very rare instances, there will be some, uh, bleeding from the eyeballs.”

The other woman frowned, “I'm sorry, what?”

“The human body is used to time unfolding linearly.”

The ship began to lift off….and then the other young teen began to wake up. Stein glanced over, “Oh, Jackson, I'm so glad you're awake. I didn't want you to miss this.”

“Miss what?” Jackson glanced around, soon realizing where he was and trying to remove the overhead seat-belt, “What the-“

“Oh, no, I wouldn't unfasten those if I were you!”

“Get me off this whatever this thing is!” yelled Jackson, causing the blonde to grin.

“Good luck explaining this.”

Stein sighed, “I did him a favour!”

“He doesn't look all that grateful.” Len this time.

“Just hang on and remain calm…” Rip already seemed to be frustrated with them as he turned his chair around, “All your worlds are about to change.”

The ship sped up and they were off.

After several minutes of flying, the ship landed in a field. Lucas gagged slightly, before twisting in his seat to puke over the side, onto the floor. Mick did the same.

“Oh, I should have mentioned it before….” Began Rip, “….Nausea is one of the side effects of time travel, along with-“Palmer fell to the ground, “-Vertigo.”

Stein was wide-eyed, “I can't see!”

“-And temporary blindness. Oh, it should only last a minute. After all, that was a mere jaunt. The further back in time you go, the worse the side effects…Better?”

“It's all relative.”

“Good.”

As Jackson began to yell and complain at Stein and Rip, Lucas slumped forwards and put his head in his hands, “That….was the worst experience ever. And I’ve had barbed wire in my leg!”

Len smirked, but that soon fell when Rip turned to the three criminals and the blonde. “Now, you four, feel free to make yourselves comfortable back here on the ship, while the rest of you are coming with me to find Professor Boardman.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa….” Mick glared at the time-traveller, “…You're benching us?”

The blonde was also annoyed, “I thought we were a team?!”

“This mission doesn't require your particular skill set. Yet.”

“Meaning you don't need anyone killed, maimed, or robbed.” Drawled Len.

“Precisely.”

Palmer leant in close to Rip, thinking he was whispering, “Sure it's a good idea to leave those three unsupervised on a time machine?”

“Hey, puppy!” scowled Lucas, leaning forwards, “Deafness wasn't one of the side effects.”

“We better hurry up. Professor Boardman will die in less than 24 hours.”

“What's the point in cutting it so close?” Palmer asked Rip, however, it was Stein who answered.

“Because if he's destined to die, then he doesn't have a timeline for us to disrupt, and his impact on the future will be minimal. How brilliant!”

The other female didn’t appear to agree. “And depressing. How does he die?”

“Uh, he's found dead in his university from unknown causes…Come on.”

Lucas frowned at the nonchalant way Rip said this, as though he didn’t even care about this Professor dying…mind you, 1975 was probably ancient, ancient history for him.

Stein, meanwhile, had turned to Jackson. “Are you coming?”

“I'll stay put.”

“You'd rather stay with them?”

"They didn't drug me!"

“Point taken.”

As the group left, Lucas got up and stretched. “There had better be a kitchen in this place…” he mumbled, “…I’m a growing boy you know.”

Len smirked at him, “You’ll be growing outwards if you’re not careful…let me know what you find.”

Lucas saluted him and strode away, making a mental note to search the fancy office when the main room was deserted….and he figured out how to hack Gideon.

……………………………………………………..

A little under an hour later, Lucas found himself back in the main room, lying on the floor and staring up at the ceiling. In the background, he could hear some old show playing on one of the screens.

“Why does this stupid station play nothing but reruns?” grumbled Mick, smirking as his son chuckled at the obvious ‘acting dumb’ routine.

The blonde, who Lucas had identified as Sara, opened her mouth only to be interrupted by Jackson, “Don't even bother trying to explain.”

Sara took the advice and sighed, “Am I the only one on this ship who could really use a drink? I say we go get weird in the '70s.”

Lucas shot up into a seated position as Len twisted around to grin at Sara. “Excellent idea.”

“I got the perfect outfit.”

Deciding to wait for Sara outside, Mick, Len and Lucas all got up to leave the ship.

“Perhaps Captain Hunter was unclear with his instructions to remain on-board.” Droned Gideon.

Mick rolled his eyes, “Shut it, metal mouth.”

Before they could exit the main room, Len span around and stopped Jackson (who was following them) in his tracks. “Oh, you're not quite ready to run with this crew. Sorry, kid.”

“Wait, you're just gonna leave me here?!”

“I said I'd take care of you.”

“B-but what about your kid?! Why does he get to go?!”

Len acted shocked, “Are you suggesting I leave my son on a strange ship, with someone we don’t really know? What kind of parent do you take me for?”

Without waiting for an answer, the trio continued to stride away, ignoring Jackson’s grumbles behind them.

………………………………………

Once in a local pub, Mick headed straight for the bar, leaving Lucas, Sara and Len near the jukebox. Lucas glanced around, “Hmmm, how is it, even when I’m wearing a bright purple t-shirt, I look like I should be at a funeral?”

“1970’s fashion kid…” chuckled Sara, “…get used to it.”

At this moment, Mick returned with four bottles, “Ah. Dollar beers. You got to love the '70s.” He gave three beers to the adults, and a bottle of juice to Lucas, “Who wants to listen to some Captain and Tennille? My mother played it…A lot.”

When Mick wandered over to the jukebox, Lucas followed on behind him. “Juice?! Seriously?!”

“You’re underage kid…” grumbled Mick, “…Len would kill me if I gave you alcohol!”

Lucas groaned as a young lady scanned the group up and down, “Wow, you guys are really far out.”

Sara grinned, “You want to dance, Leonard?” 

“You go right ahead. I'll watch.”

“Suit yourself.” She handed him her beer and headed out onto the dancefloor. As she began to dance, Lucas slowly reached out to the bottle, only for it to be held out of his reach.

“Don’t even think about brat.” Scolded Len, his eyes still on Sara…who was talking to a large biker-style man.

“Can I help you?”

“Mm. How about you join me in the parking lot?”

Sara smirked, “Hmm, tempting, but you're not my type. But your lady, on the other hand, well, she looks just my speed.”

“Maybe you didn't understand my request, bitch.” He reached out to grab here, only for her to grab the hand and viciously twist it, causing him to yell in pain. “Aah! Son of a-“

Turning to face the other three, Sara held up a hand and grinned, “I got this.”

As she started to fight, Len glanced at his son and grinned. “I’ve never seen you turn away from looking at a young woman so quickly!”

“The pain is just not worth it….if she caught me again-“Lucas shuddered and left the sentence hanging.

Meanwhile, Sara continued to kick grown men into tables and knock them to the ground, causing the criminal trio to grin….this was awesome.

Eventually though, Sara found herself up against over five men. She turned to the three, “Now I could stand for a little help.”

Len smashed the two beer bottles on the ground and stormed forwards, with Mick breaking a bar-stool behind him. Lucas took the opportunity to remove his trusted pocket-knife from within his sock and leap onto the bar. From there, he was able to stab wayward hands and backs that ventured too near.

“Coming through Lucky!”

Lucas jumped as his Papa dragged a man across the bar, shattering glasses and spilling beer all over it. As he vaulted down to the ground, Lucas whooped in glee, “I love the '70s!”

After thoroughly kicking everyone’s’ ass, the four quickly left before the police could arrive. Once in the car park, Len hotwired a car and Mick drove back to the ship. When the ship came into view, they saw an armoured figure firing at the rest of the team.

“Hold on…” grunted Mick, violently twisting the wheel, spinning the car and knocking the figure with the back of the car, sending them flying.

Quickly, the four got out of the car as Len smirked at a shell-shocked Rip. “We go out for one lousy drink, and you guys somehow manage to pick a fight with Boba Fett!” 

Lucas grinned at his Dad, drawing his knife again. “And you call me the nerd!”

“I don’t know why you’re drawing your weapon, get back on the ship!”

“Spoilsport!”

Being forced to remain behind the relative safety of his parents, Lucas quickly made his way to the ship, watching as a man (who he assumed to be Professor Boardman) was carried in by the winged couple. As the armed figure continued to fire at the group, the door to the ship slowly closed.

“Professor Boardman has sustained severe internal injuries.” Drone Gideon.

“Prepare the Med-Bay to receive Professor Boardman and get us out of here!” ordered Rip.

“Course heading?”

“Anywhere but here!”

As the ship took off, everyone was force to brace themselves against the walls, stumbling over to the seats. After a few minutes of travelling, Gideon spoke up again. “Our cloaking shield and aft entrance have been significantly compromised, Captain.”

“Yes, I can see that, Gideon.” Rip groaned,”Station us in the temporal zone while I work on repairs.”

Palmer frowned, “Temporal zone?”

“Yeah, it's essentially a time limbo. We can hide out there for a bit. Another temporal jump would risk revealing our position.” Rip grabbed a bag from his office and strode over to a hole in the wall.

“A time limbo?” gasped Stein, “Astonishing!”

“Oh, there's something you people don't know about time travel? That's surprising, isn't it? Considering none of you have ever time travelled before! Bringing a family member from the past onto a time-ship? Breaking out and carousing around the 1970s? We've barely begun, and already this is the worst, unmitigated disaster of my career!”

As Rip was ranting, the winged woman, who Lucas believed was called Kendra, stormed up to him and as he turned around, she punched in him the face.

Mick laughed, grinning at Kendra’s companion, “I see why you got the hots for that one.”

Pinning Rip up against the wall, Kendra growled at him. “My son is hurt because of you! Who attacked us?!”

“Something of a long story.” Sighed Rip

“Better tell it fast, Rip…” drawled Len, who was clearly enjoying this, “…’cause it doesn't look like the lady's in a patient mood.”

Kendra’s companion seemed to agree, “Neither am I.”

There was silence for a few moments, before Rip sighed again. “His name is Chronos. He works for the Council of Time Masters…” Kendra released him in shock as he continued, “… My former employers.”

Lucas frowned at this, but before he could say anything, Sara stood up. “I thought you were a Time Master.”

“As I've expressed, time's not a linear thing. At some point I was, in fact, a Time Master.”

This time, it was Sara who cracked him one across the face.

“Will you people please stop hitting me?!”

“Start telling the truth!”

There was silence, before Rip sighed. “I relinquished my position as a Time Master when I commandeered the Waverider…Chronos was clearly sent to bring me in.”

Stein frowned, “You lied to us.”

“Of course I lied to you. I needed your help you all barely said yes as it was.”

“What about the legends part?” asked Jackson.

Rip remained silent, causing Lucas to smirk (despite feeling a little betrayed). “Ooh, you lied about that too, didn't you?”

“…I chose you all because, a hundred years from now, your lives have minimal effect on the recorded timeline…I needed your help without disturbing the history of 2166.”

Jackson sighed, “So, we're like the opposite of legends.”

Glancing down at his son, Mick growled at the disappointed look on his face. “Give me one good reason why we shouldn't kill you.”

“Ditto the arsonist.” Stein also growled.

“Because Gideon wouldn't listen to your commands and you'd be stuck here forever.”

Lucas rolled his eyes. Rip clearly didn’t care that he had lied to them.

“Great…” sighed Palmer, “…so we're not an elite team of heroes on a sanctioned mission, sent to rid the future of its most horrific bad guy. Just a collection of nobodies who time really doesn't give a damn about.”

“I didn't lie about the mission itself! Or the brutality and ruthlessness of Savage! Or my need for your help!”

“I don't imagine you're the kind of guy who quits his job and takes on this kind of threat for altruistic reasons, so Rip, why don't you tell us: what did Vandal Savage do to you?”

“…The Time Masters discourage marriage. They urge against procreation even more. A Time Master should be free of any personal entanglements that might…compromise him. But…I fell in love, and we had a child…A boy…Jonas.”

There was silence for a few minutes, before Palmer spoke up again. “Savage killed your family.”

“He slaughtered my family! And thousands of other families. And that body that I swore an oath to serve turned a blind eye….They continue to turn a blind eye. I won't. The last thing that my child saw in this world was that monster's face. You can be damn well sure that when Savage dies, the last face he sees will be mine. I understand, given the circumstances, if you wish to return home. We can make the jump once the repairs are done, if and when Professor Boardman stabilizes.”

There was silence for a few moments as Kendra and her other companion left the room. Stein sighed, “I think we all need a little time to consider our options.”

Len and Mick nodded in agreement, Mick grabbing a hold of Lucas’s shoulder and pulling him along with them. “Come on brat, before I get the urge to burn our beloved captain.”

Silently, Lucas allowed himself to be dragged to the cargo bay, watching as they were followed by Sara and Palmer. Without saying a word, they all separated and began to work on their own projects, including Mick working on the heat gun and Palmer on his shrink suit.

Lucas was sat in between his parents, staring blankly at the wall….until suddenly, there was a blue blast, which startled Lucas into falling off of the box.

“Watch it!” growled Mick at Palmer as Lucas jumped to his feet, trying to act as though he wasn’t shaken.

“Sorry…” Ray’s eye were wide as he stared at the arsonist, “…Sorry.”

Lucas scowled at the man, brushing himself down. “Bad puppy…” he mumbled.

There was silence for a few moments before Ray sighed, “What's the point of us even giving this a second thought? Rip has already seen the future. He knows exactly what's in store for each of us…Might as well have stayed dead, 'cause the world doesn't need any of us.”

He glanced at Sara, “You're just a lost assassin.” Then at the other three, “You're just a trio of good-for-nothing criminals.”

“I can live with that.” Grunted Mick as Lucas nodded silently in agreement.

“Well, I can't. Can't live with somebody putting a cap on my destiny. Spent my whole life working to be something greater…by becoming something smaller. Then some guy comes along and tells me that being the Atom is as insignificant as an actual atom.”

Sara frowned, “That's not what he said. Rip said that in his future we're nobodies, but this mission is about changing the future. I mean, if we have the power to change the world, don't you think we have the power to change our own fate?”

Frowning Lucas glanced at both his parents. Mick seemed nonplussed, but Len…Len was smirking in agreement. “For better or for worse.”

There was silence for a couple of seconds, before Ray grinned. “That’s a very good point.”

Seemingly satisfied with the decision, the group stood to leave the cargo bay. Upon entering the room, Luas caught the end of Rip’s sentence.

“….Chronos, even Vandal, won't be the only enemy we face. Very often, it will be time itself.”

As they all gathered on the main flight deck, Ray shrugged. “Whether it wants to happen or not, we're gonna change time, erase Savage's future, and earn our rightful place in history.”

“Dr Palmer is correct….” Stein chimed in, “…We may not be legends in your time, Captain, but we are going to decide our own fates.”

“I don't give a damn about being a legend, as long as we end Savage once and for all.” This time it was Kendra’s partner who spoke up…those two looked upset. Looked like the Prof kicked the bucket.

Jackson grinned, “I can get down with that.”

“And our malcontents?” asked Stein, glancing over at Lucas and his parents.

Mick shrugged, his hand on Lucas’s shoulder. “I like killing people.”

Nodding in agreement, Lucas turned to his Dad, who smirked. “We're in. For now.”

As the team all made their way to their seats, Sara turned to Rip. “So how do we find this guy?”

“Professor Boardman had a theory about that…..I've already had Gideon plot a course.”


	21. Pilot (part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)

“Aaaaaaand we've arrived….” Announced Rip, as the Waverider came to a halt, “Gideon, if you wouldn't mind camouflaging us as an alpine meadow, perhaps?”

Lucas chuckled as his Papa bent over in his seat, head in his hands as the man groaned. Len however, was less than impressed. “What are you complaining about now? It's not like we time-jumped.”

“I hate flying…” groaned Mick, “…especially in whatever this thing is.”

“Where exactly are we?” asked Kendra’s companion (who Lucas had learnt was called Carter)

“We're still in 1975, right?” Kendra this time.

Rip strode over to his office, “Indeed. October 1975 on the fjords of northern Norway.”

“Sounds like a vacation.” Grunted Lucas as he stretched, “Always wanted to visit Norway.”

“Which we can take as soon as the threat of Savage has been neutralized, Mr. Snart….Rory.”

“That's Aldus's notebook.”

Rip nodded at Carter, “Now he theorized that Savage might be here, and if he's right, and if we can capture Savage, then at least Professor Boardman didn't die in vain.”

Kendra didn’t seem too pleased with this suggestion. “Can't we just go back and save Aldus?”

“He was our son.” Agreed Carter

“Look, I'm sorry…” began Rip apologetically (although Lucas wasn’t buying it), “…We can't go back and change events in which we participated. Time would fold in on itself, creating a temporal vortex.”

“Which sounds way cooler than it is.” Said both Ray and Lucas at the same time, causing them to glance at each other.

Sara sighed, “Forgetting physics for a second, shouldn't we figure out what Savage is doing in Norway?”

“According to Gideon, there is a large meeting of terrorists and fringe groups looking to buy illegal arms.”

Mick grinned at his kid, “Now that sounds like a vacation.”

“Arms dealers and terrorists aren't exactly our kind of people…” began Len,

“…but they're the next best thing.” Finished Lucas, smirking at Sara.

Carter clearly wasn’t impressed with the criminals, “Well, looks like you and your lapdog get to earn your keep.”

Before Lucas could say anything (or do anything), Mick gently grabbed his arm and glared at the man, “I'm no one's lapdog, bird-man.”

Kendra simply rolled her eyes. “So what exactly does one wear to a black market arms bazaar, anyway?”

“Mostly black I reckon…” mumbled Lucas, causing Rip to glare at him.

“Thank you for your input. The Waverider has a fabrication room which can fashion temporally-indigenous, uh, fashion.”

“You've got a room that makes clothing?”

Rip frowned at Jackson, “Doesn't everyone?”

Everyone then began to stride towards the Fabrication Room, with Ray and Len taking the lead. “All right…” began Ray, “…first thing we need to do is work up a plan!”

Len sneered at him, “Got a lot of experience infiltrating criminal gatherings? Didn't think so. I'm calling the shots.”

Rip came in between the pair in order to take the lead, “Actually, I'm in charge, in case any of you have forgotten.”

“No, we remember….” Chimed in Lucas, who sidled up to Rip and clapped him on the back, “…We just don’t give a fuck!”

Snarling in frustration, Rip growled, “Do I need to remind any of you that I'm a Time Master? Making discreet alterations to the timeline is what I do, so we're not just gonna charge into the past like a bull into a china shop!”

“Half of what you've told us about the mission turned out to be lies.” 

As Lucas nodded in agreement with his Papa, Rip quickly tried to backtrack. “None of you have ever encountered Vandal Savage before. I have, and I'm telling you now, you are making a big mistake!”

“Already did that when we trusted you.” Scoffed Ray

Smirking at the fact that Rip had nothing to say to that, Lucas saluted at him as the group strode away. “Back soon, mon Capitaine!”

…………………………………………………………………

“This is such bullshit….” Muttered Lucas as they walked up to a warehouse, “…. I can’t believe you guys get to take part in a black-market auction, and you’re putting me on surveillance! I even wore my best boots for such an occasion!”

Len rolled his eyes, “No black-market auctions until you’re eighteen…. and have your own bank account. Then you can buy as many guns and grenades as you want... and do those boots have chains on them?”

“Hell yeah!”

Ignoring the bickering pair beside her, Sara noticed something about the other criminals in the vicinity. “Looks like they're checking credentials…” she sighed, “… And we don't have any.”

“We got this. Trust us.” Grunted Mick, coming in between his partner and son, and placing a hand on Lucas’s shoulder, “Go make yourself useful if you’re going to whinge so much.”

Rolling his eyes, and popping the collar of his long navy coat (looking like Len as he did so), Lucas strode towards the entrance of the warehouse, knocking into someone as he went. Before the man could say anything, Lucas sneered at him. “Excuse you!”

The rest of the team then made their way over, with everyone (except Mick and Len) gasping in shock when the teen pulled an ID out of his pocket. “Am I useful now?”

“Yeah…now go find Wings times two and behave!”

As Lucas strode away, muttering angrily under his breath, the rest of the team walked over to the guard on duty.

Keeping his head down and trying not to draw too much attention to himself, Lucas made his way to the roof of the warehouse, switching on his earpiece in time to hear his Dad confirm they were in the building.

“So why don't I get to play terrorist?” asked Jax just as Lucas joined him, Kendra and Carter.

//This is just a kidnapping…\\\ Len drawled, //…No need for your nuclear fireworks. Savage'll be one of the buyers. Once we get eyes on, hang back. We'll boost him once this is all over.\\\

“Any sign of him?” asked Carter 

//No.\\\

//He's not here, boss.\\\

//…Let's get Ginger and the Professor and move out.\\\

Jax turned to Lucas, who had seated himself on the edge. “Did your Dad just call Sara Ginger?”

Lucas sniggered, swinging his feet in the air and causing the boot chains to jingle, “You’ve got to admit-“

“Don’t finish that sentence!” interrupted Jax, “I won’t be complicit in you two insulting someone who could kick our asses with her pinky!”

//Sorry to interrupt…\\\ muttered Stein, //… But it seems we were wrong about Savage. He's not one of the buyers.\\\

//He's the seller.\\\ Finished Sara.

A few minutes later, on the roof, the four could hear gunshots.

“Shouldn’t we go in?” gasped Kendra, “It sounds like-“

“They’re bidding…” interrupted Lucas, rolling his eyes slightly, “… It’s a black-market auction, what did you expect? Them to raise their hands like in a classroom?”

Kendra simply scowled at him, turning her back…. Until they heard something shocking.

//Congratulations, Professor…\\\ began Mick, //…You just bought yourself a nuclear weapon.\\\

“Didn’t know the geezer had it in him….” Chuckled Lucas as an unfamiliar voice faintly came over the earpiece.

//Well, well. We seem to have a new player. But you seem a bit academic. How did you get in here and who are you?\\\

Still trying to remain in role, Stein answered. //As of a few seconds ago, I'm a nuclear power.\\\

//Yet I don't know you or your organization, and I know everyone.\\\

//Hey. Back off.\\\ grunted Mick.

//Watch your tone.\\\

Kendra and Carter gasped at the next voice.

//Is there some sort of problem here? \\\

//Yeah, the master race here is starting to bug me.\\\

//We're just gonna get our nuclear warhead and be on our way.\\\

//Not without paying first.\\\

//Once we've validated that the warhead's operational. Personally, I find it highly unlikely that you were able to accumulate enough fissionable material in this era to fashion a workable nuclear device.\\\

//This era? \\\

Lucas groaned, “Nice Stein.”

Jackson nodded in agreement, twisting around to face the winged pair. “I got a feeling you guys might want to get those helmets of yours on.”

“And you’d better help the ‘genius’...” Grunted Lucas, grabbing hold of a nearby drainpipe and beginning to scale down it, “…because he’s about one step from permanent retirement. And if he’s really lucky, it’ll be someone other than me who pulls that final trigger.” 

//Can I burn some stuff now? \\\

//I wish you would.\\\

Lucas grinned at the sound of people screaming from within the warehouse, landing on the concrete ground with a thud as the winged pair flew into the building. Racing after them, Lucas pulled out his gun (that he had asked Gideon to replicate for him), taking the odd pot shot as he dived behind some crates.

The familiar whirs and rumbling of his parent’s guns could be heard over the scuffle as Lucas went from behind one cover, to another, laughing as he fired shot after shot…

…. however, due to his excitement, he failed to see a middle-aged man with medium length black hair, dark eyes and a long blue coat watching him. The man grinned at the sight of the teen, his eyes widening in something familiar to recognition…. or realization.

As Lucas headed closer to the stage, he heard his Dad yell from the other side of the warehouse. “KID! GET OUT OF HERE!”

Len was ignored.

Quickly joining Ray and Sara on the stage, Lucas took a step back at the 0:30 seconds countdown on the nuclear bomb. “Shitting hell! What happened?!”

“Professor, Jax, we need you!” ordered Sara, as Ray floundered desperately. Firestorm grabbed the bomb and flew off into the distance as more terrorists clambered onto the stage. 

Ducking and weaving Lucas lashed out at his attackers, knocking several out and shooting/stabbing the rest. A few seconds later, there was a loud rumble and the ground shook slightly.

“Let’s go!” Sara called out, taking advantage of the number of knocked out terrorists to make a strategic retreat…. unfortunately, this also meant that Len could take the advantage and grab Lucas by the coat collar, tugging him out of the building.

“You and I are going to have a serious talk later.” He hissed angrily into his son’s ear.

“Fuck…”

…………………………………………….

As the team strode through the corridors of the Waverider, Ray turned to Len and shook his head in disappointment, “Well, I'm really glad you were the one calling the shots!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” interrupted Lucas (who was practically being dragged by his coat sleeve), “How is this his fault?! Stein’s the one who gave the whole-time travel thing away!”

Carter, who was just behind them, patted Lucas on the back. “The kid’s right…” he turned to Stein, “… You let your ego endanger our entire mission.”

“No, Mr. Rory's temper got completely out of control!” argued Stein.

“I thought we were friends, Professor.” Growled Mick

“At least there's one less nuclear bomb on the planet.”

Lucas rolled his eyes at Kendra, groaning when Rip began to clap.

“Hear, hear. Now you all deserve a hearty congratulation. Not only did you fail to capture Savage, you exposed yourselves and your powers to him, giving away the element of surprise for now and all time… Well done, team.”

“We don't need the element of surprise.” Sighed Carter, “We know he's in Norway, so let's find him.”

“Unfortunately, we now have larger problems than Savage. If only you'd have listened to me about the dangers of upsetting the timeline!”

Kendra frowned at the frustrated growl of Rip, “What are you talking about? While you were busy saving Norway from nuclear annihilation-“

“You're welcome, Norway.” “You’re welcome Norway.” Interrupted Lucas and Mick, high-fiving each other.

“-Savage sent one of his cronies back to the site of the arms sale. Anyone care to guess what he found?”

Everyone frowned and glanced at each other… until Ray suddenly glanced down at his arm. “Whoops.” He whispered.

Gideon’s head popped up over the console. “I am unversed in modern American colloquialisms. Is "Whoops" slang for "Oh- “

“Yes…” growled Rip, “Dr. Palmer seems to have thrown a spanner in the works for the entire timeline.”

Len, who had finally let go of Lucas’s arm, frowned. “Come again?”

“Armed with Dr. Palmer's future technology, Savage's engineers develop a weapon far more destructive than anything here in 1975.” Rip tapped a few buttons and a holographic image of Central City appeared, “This is Central City in 2016. At least it was… I'm not sure what the neo-fascists who took control of it are calling it these days!”

There was silence for a few moments, before Stein took a step forwards. “T-There must be a way to correct this somehow?”

“Fortunately, Gideon is just showing us a forecast of the future you've all created. Time is like cement. It takes time to become… permanent. In this case, until Savage's team have worked out the mystery of your future technology and moulded it to their own ends. And when they do, what you see here is no longer just a forecast. This…” he sighed, “… This is history.”

There was silence once again, until Lucas raised his hand tentatively. “The future we’ve all created? Don’t you mean the future Stein junior created?”

“Hey!”

Lucas shrugged, “Well it’s the truth… funny how the geniuses are the ones who screwed up.”

Ray leapt to his feet, as though he was going to argue, but before he could say anything Rip interrupted. “Just…. fix this!”

……………………………………………………………….

That was almost an hour ago.

Now, Lucas was getting the lecture of a lifetime. His Dad was practically yelling at him, and that was the shocking thing…. Len hardly ever yelled.

“- do if a bullet had hit you huh?! Or if one of those terrorists decided you were an easy target and went for you?! What you did, was stupid and definitely not what I expect to see from someone of your intellect!”

Lucas rolled his eyes, “You act like I just walked through the fight shouting ‘Come and shoot me bastards!’ I was taking cover the whole time!”

“Except when you ran to the stage!”

“Most of the men were knocked out or running away by then!”

Len snarled in frustration, spinning around on his heel as he clearly resisted the urge to do something he’d regret… or rather, say something he’d regret. For as long as he could remember, Len had never struck him in anger or even touched him in anger. Even when he wanted Lucas to follow him for a lecture, Len would grab his son by a piece of clothing, having received too many bruises of his own by being dragged about.

“We’ll talk about this later…” he sighed, “… let’s head back to the deck.”

Lucas, noticing that his Dad probably didn’t want to speak, silently followed until they reached the deck, where the rest of the team (minus Carter and Kendra) were waiting. “So…” Len began, “… thanks to Raymond leaving a piece of his suit in the past, the rest of us don't have a future to go back to?”

“Unless we do something to change this course of events, the future will become immutable.” Answered Rip.

Ray winced, “Exactly how much time do we have?”

“Until Savage's weapons team reverse-engineer your tech.”

Stein took a step forwards, “We're talking 1970s terrorists with 21st-century weapons. And since we don't know where Savage went- “

“We don't have to find Savage…” interrupted Ray, “… We just have to find the other piece of my suit. Which shrinks because it's made of an alloy which mimics intra-molecular compression of dwarf star, thus emitting Alpha Particles!”

“So, we just need to be able to track them. Fortunately, Alpha Particles are highly trackable!”

“Yet unheard of in the 1970s…” Ray sighed wearily, “… It's like we're trapped in the Stone Age.”

Unimpressed with Ray’s comment, Stein frowned. “I'll have you know that I was researching Alpha Particles when you were eating crayons.”

Len took the chance to speak, “So to track that piece of Raymond's super-suit, we just need to talk to- “

“Me…25-year-old me, rather.”

At this moment, Carter and Kendra entered the room.

“You two are just in time.” Greeted Rip.

“Show them, Kendra.”

Kendra handed Rip a bit of paper. “Aldus was carrying this when he was killed. It's a newspaper article about an Egyptian dagger.”

“The one Savage used to kill us.”

“In Central City, we learned that objects associated with the night of our deaths can also be used to kill Savage.”

“According to Aldus's notes, the dagger needs to be wielded in conjunction with an incantation inscribed on it.”

“What does this incantation say?” asked Stein.

There was a moment of silence before Kendra sighed, “I don't know. I can't read the language.”

Lucas resisted the urge to sigh as Carter gently patted Kendra on the shoulder. “It's okay. I'll help you remember.”

“Splendid…” Rip glanced down at the paper, “… Now, as for the dagger”

“You need someone to steal it.”

Ignoring Ray, Lucas snatched the piece of paper off Rip, “Okay, fine. Whatever. I'll do it…. Article says it was purchased by some rich Russian douche bag named Sasha Mahnovski.”

Before Rip could protest, Len scowled at his son. “After that stunt you pulled in the warehouse, you really think you’re going on your own mission?”

“I wouldn’t have pulled that ‘stunt’ if you hadn’t of side-lined me like some child!”

“Because you are a child!”

Lucas groaned and began to stride out of the room, however, he stopped in his tracks when Ray spoke up. “I'll go with you.”

“Not a chance in hell.”

“Forgive me if I don’t trust you.”

“Not forgiven!”

“You have a choice Lucky…” interrupted Len, “You and Ray can have this mission…. Or me and your Papa can join. But you’re not getting a solo mission until I’m ready. Not when you’re ready.”

“… Fine. But I’m taking an active role in this and you can’t stop that.”

“Then we’ve reached an agreement.”

Ray watched in bemusement as Rip turned to him, “Look, you're more than welcome to go with them. Just don't take along any of your future tech.” 

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Lucas knelt next to his parents, eyes scanning the large house in front.

“I'm seeing motion detectors on the ground floor…” began Len, “… Hardware on the doors looks standard issue.”

Mick nodded, “I can't see any smoke alarms.”

“Stay close…” whispered Lucas, “… I saw at least three armed guards on the perimeter.”

“Good eyes kid…” 

Suddenly, Ray shot to his feet and began to walk towards the house, causing Mick to frown. “What the hell are you- “

“I recognize the security system.” Ray continued to stride over to a security box, a beaming grin on his face, “… My parents had the exact one.”

The three criminals slowly walked up behind him as Ray began to hack the security box, “I'll have the access code cracked and security disabled before you could say ‘breaking and entering’…There. We're in.”

Lucas began to slow clap, smirking at the so-called genius. “I wouldn't be so sure about that.”

“Why's that?”

Len shook his head, eyes darting around. “Because you just tapped into a dummy box, which means those guards are gonna be here…” 

“… Quicker than you can say ‘rookie mistake.’” Finished Mick.

As he finished the sentence, two of the guards appeared behind them, guns aimed at them. “Hands up!”

Slowly, and in unison, Mick and Len held their hands up…span around…and knocked the guards out.

“Ha….” Grunted Mick in satisfaction when the guards lay unconscious on the ground.

Lucas however, wasn’t impressed. “Really? Me on my own would have caused more hassle than bringing this idiot along?”

“Hey…” Ray protested, “… like you would have been able to take on two guards by yourself!”

“One, I didn’t actually see you helping with those two. Two, I managed to get the best of two cops when I was eight…. And I wouldn’t have been stupid enough to alert them to my presence anyway!”

As they were arguing quietly, the group made their way indoors and headed towards a large room full of glass display cabinets and priceless antiques. Ray instantly spotted the dagger and grinned, “Found it…Is there a trick to opening the case?”

Len and Lucas smirked at the man before the three then began to smash the glass cases. Mick bent over to admire a Roman helmet, ignoring Ray’s shocked expression. 

“Ah!”

“What are you doing?” yelped Ray, “Let's grab the dagger and let's go!”

Lucas rolled his eyes, “Puppy, you don't break into a candy store and steal one gumball. If we steal only the dagger, then the owner’s gonna know we came here for that specifically…. If we steal more, then it’ll just be ruled out as a general breaking and entering.”

“You guys grab the goodies.” Mick tore his attention away from the helmet and straightened up, heading for another door, “… I'll find the safe.”

Len headed over to the helmet once Mick was out of the room. “What do you think Lucky? A good anniversary present for Mick?”

“He does like Roman films.”

“What do you think you two are doing?” protested Ray, gesturing at the dagger. “This is what we came here for!”

Len sighed, reaching out for the helmet. “No, it's what you came here for.”

Before Lucas could say or do anything, Ray darted over and grabbed Len by the arm… not by the coat sleeve, but by his arm. Len immediately tensed up at the unwanted contact. “Take your hand off me.”

“I'm not gonna let you jeopardize another mission!”

“I'm done asking politely….” 

Lucas laughed as Len punched Ray in the face, splitting the man’s lip. As Ray straightened up, Len snarled at him. “This is my mission.”

“And I'm gonna listen to a guy who's spent half of his life in prison?” Ray then struck Len across the face, causing the man to stumble backwards, gasping in shock as he knocked the helmet off of the pedestal.

As soon as the helmet hit the ground, the lights in the room turned red and alarms began to blare. Lucas glanced up at the ceiling and dived to the side just as a large cage slammed to the ground, trapping Len and Ray inside.

“Great…” drawled Len, “… Now we're both going to prison. Lucky, get out of here.”

“No way…. maybe I can find a way to try and disable the security systems from in here. There must be something!”

“Just leave! For once, would you just listen to me?!”

The alarms continued to blare as Mick returned. “What the hell happened?”

“It was this idiot's fault.” “Your partner's fault.” Both men in the cage exclaimed, prompting Mick to turn to Lucas.

Lucas shrugged, “Ray’s fault… like that’s a shock.”

“I told you we shouldn't have brought him.”

“Agreed, but we got bigger problems.” Sighed Len, “I need you to find the fuse box and- “

“- Trigger a system default.” Finished Mick, growling at Ray and pointing at him, “… This ain't over.”

Len smirked, before glancing at Lucas. “Anything obvious out there?”

“No… maybe it’s in with you?”

Len nodded and began to knock on the wood panelling of the cases, until he heard a more solid sound, as though something was behind the wood. “Got it Lucky…”

As Len knelt, pulling out a small tool, Ray frowned. “How did you know how to do that?” 

“When I was a kid, my dad brought me along on jobs. I had little hands. I could get into tiny spaces, do whatever he needed me to do, like rewiring a security system.”

“And I suppose you taught your son this as well?”

“It’s an important life skill.”

“In another life, you could've been an electrical engineer. Lucas still could.”

Len smirked, “Guess I dodged a bullet.” he stated as Lucas rolled his eyes and groaned.

“You think I want to be like you?”

Ray frowned, “You make being a tech billionaire sound like a bad thing.”

Continuing to work on the wiring, Len rolled his eyes. “You spend all your time and money inventing a super-suit, and what do you do with it? Fly around like some incredible shrinking schmuck trying to save the world.”

“Robbing banks for a living I suppose that's more important?”

Lucas, who had moved closer to the cage bars, smirked at the pair. “It's sure as hell more satisfying.”

“Thinking like that is what makes you criminals.”

“No, it makes us survivors.” Sighed Len, twisting his head around to face Ray, “And there's gonna come a day when you wish you were too.”

There was silence for a few moments as Len continued to work, only for him to growl quietly in frustration and lean back, trying to figure out another way to hack the security system. Sensing this, Ray held out his hand for the tool, which Len willingly gave.

He reached in and tinkered slightly with the wiring, “Here. You flip the solenoid, saves you the trouble of rewiring it.”

Len was clearly surprised, taking the tool back. “I take it back, Raymond. You're not completely useless after all.”

Suddenly, the red lights switched off and the lighting went back to normal, causing Ray to grin. “Looks like Rory found the fuse box.”

“We got a slight problem….” Came Mick’s voice from around the corner, clearly strained which caused Len and Lucas to straighten up, “… The owner just came home. You're not gonna believe who it is.”

From around the corner came Vandal Savage, who was gripping Mick by the neck and aiming a gun at the arsonist’s head. “We meet again….” Crooned Savage, “… Oh, I'm grateful for another opportunity to kill you.”

He turned his attention to Lucas (who was restrained by Len grabbing the hood of his parka through the bars), “And I’m grateful to see you again…”

The words and the tone were creepy, which prompted Mick to try and get out of Savage’s grip, to try and turn Savage’s attention away from his son.

“Stop struggling…” growled the villain, “…I've had 4,000 years of training in every hold and pressure point known. But you already know that, don't you? That I'm immortal?”

Len, with his free hand, gripped a bar of the cage. His knuckles were practically white with tension, and there was a murderous glint in his eye… this man was practically leering at his son and threatening his husband with a deadly weapon. “I'm gonna kill you anyway. That's a promise.”

Mick’s face was tensed in pain as Savage’s grip tightened. “Oh, what have I done to deserve such enmity? No, let me rephrase that. What have I done to you? Perhaps you have targeted me for something I've yet to do. You travelled here from some point in the future?”

Ray turned to Len, “Catches on fast, this guy.” He muttered.

“Visitors from another time. Oh!” 

With startling speed, Savage whacked Mick over the head with the gun, sending him to the ground. 

“Papa!” yelled Lucas, wrenching himself out of the parka and kneeling next to the arsonist., completely ignoring Savage aiming the gun at the cage.

Ray glared at Savage, “You won't be so happy when the rest of the team shows up and knocks that smug grin off your face.”

“Oh, why wait?” Savage bent down and picked up Mick’s earpiece, “A communications device of some sort, I imagine.” He threw the device into the bars, smirking as Ray caught it. “Please. Contact your friends. I'm looking forward to seeing at least two of them again.”

Lucas watched as his Dad snatched the communicator out of Ray’s hand, and switched it on. “I'll make this short…” he began, “…The owner of the mansion we burgled is Vandal Savage. He's really interested in meeting you guys, especially our feathered friends.”

Len ended the call and Savage ginned. “Excellent…” he then turned to Lucas, who slowly reached for one of his pocket knives, the one in his sock, “… now you are very interesting. Imagine my surprise when I saw you… a young Egyptian male.”

“Why’s that so important to you?” questioned Lucas, inwardly musing over this new development. His skin was slightly darker than that of the majority of his classmates, this much he knew, but due to being dumped as a new-born, he never knew the details of his background.

“Consider me an interested party… tell me, are you another one of Chay-Ara and Prince Khufu’s…offspring?”

Lucas couldn’t help but sneer at the thought. “The only parents I have are the ones who took me in all those years ago, and trust me when I say that when my parents die, they will stay dead… besides I’m not even sure his royal highness is Egyptian.”

Savage stared at him for a few moments, before turning his attention back to the couple in the cage. “Your friends are cowards.” He hissed.

“They'll be here.” Ray answered

“They're taking too long…” growled Savage, reaching down to grab Mick… however, before he could grab the arsonist, Lucas flung himself over his Papa. Savage though, was undeterred. He grabbed Lucas and pulled him closer, pressing the muzzle of the gun to the teen’s forehead, “… They need an incentive.”

“No!” yelled Len, shaking the bars as Lucas glared at the villain. However, before the trigger could be pulled, there was a blast of fire. Whilst Savage was distracted, Lucas took his chance and kicked the villain away from him, diving away from the fire.

“Oh….” Whispered Savage, “…The burning man.”

“I don't just burn, pal…” Jax (and Stein technically) shot another blast of fire at Savage, propelling him into the wall, “…I blast things too!”

Firestorm then turned to Mick (who was being helped up by Lucas) and frowned at the blood on the arsonist’s face. “Hey, you okay?”

Mick pushed himself to his feet with his son’s help and growled, “I'm pissed!”

Nodding in understanding, Jax then turned to the cage. “Stand back.”

With another blast, the bars of the cage melted and Len and Ray could get out. With Len giving support to his husband, and clutching his son close to him with the other arm, the group made their way outside and met the rest of the team.

“It's all good. Savage is down.” Reported Jax.

Carter simply scowled, “Savage is not defeated by earthly means.”

“Well, I hit him with a nuclear blast, so, you know, not that earthly.”

Silently, Len realised his son and pulled the target knife out of his pocket, handing it over to Carter. “Go get that son of a bitch.” He growled, his eyes briefly flickering to Mick and then to Lucas.

Carter turned to Kendra “Are you ready to end this?”

“We've only been waiting 4,000 years.”

With that, the pair took flight and headed towards the house. In the meantime, Mick turned and scowled. “We got company….” He grunted, alerting the rest of the team to security guards racing towards them.

“Friends of Savage….” Sighed Rip, striding over to Ray and handing him his mini suit, “…You'll be needing this.”

Ray reached out for it, only for Rip to hold it back briefly. “Don't leave any pieces of it behind this time.”

Without another word, the team span around and headed towards the guards… well, all except Lucas and Leonard. Len gently placed both hands on his son’s shoulder’s, “I know you hate it when I say this… but you need to stay out of sight.”

“But Papa-“

“Your Papa isn’t one to stay out of a fight, even if he has a concussion…but you came too close to death. Too close for comfort… but I’m not going to ask you to leave, I just want you to stay out of sight. Please.”

Lucas remained silent after this, simply nodding and allowing his Dad to lead him to a bush, kneeling behind it and pulling out his gun. 

From there, the fight against the guards was relatively easy, especially with future technology. Once all the guards were taken out, the team rushed into the house, only to see Savage grabbing Kendra and stabbing her… Carter lying on the floor beside them.

With a blast from the ATOM suit, Savage was propelled out of the window. “Carter.” Ray muttered as Rip ran over and checked the winged man’s pulse.

“He's lost…” sighed Rip, pushing himself off the ground and heading out of the door “…Get Kendra before Savage recovers.”

Len growled, “Come on, we can still kill this bastard!”

“Kendra is the only one who can.”

“We gotta go….” Ordered Ray, who was bending over Kendra, “…Kendra needs medical attention.”

Mick lifted Kendra into his arms and ran out of the door, closely followed by the rest of the team (although Len clearly wasn’t happy with the decision) …. Carter’s body was left behind.

Racing away from the guards, they made it to the Waverider, firing at their pursuers. “Gideon, get us underway as soon as Firestorm and the Atom are on board!” Rip ordered, then turning to Mick, “Get her to the Med-Bay now!”

As they hurried to the Med-Bay, Lucas felt his coat sleeve grabbed as he was pulled into a hug. “That was too close…” muttered Len, taking sharp, sudden breaths as he clutched his son close to him, “… that bastard had a gun to my husband and son’s head!”

Lucas, sensing that his Dad was about 10 seconds away from a panic attack, gently backed away from the hug and ushered Len into the Waverider kitchen. He encouraged his Dad to sit down, before rummaging through the cupboards for some tea.

Usually, the family would drink coffee, but when Len got to this point, tea was the only thing that could calm him down. Quickly, the teen brewed the tea and poured his Dad a cup and seated opposite him. “Dad?”

Len sipped the tea, his eyes focused on his son as the teen continued. “You need to calm down…. take deep breaths remember? Me and Papa are fine, I wasn’t injured and Papa’s got a hard head. He’ll be fine… right?”

It took a few minutes, but eventually Len nodded. “I know…it’s just- “

“- you felt helpless. I know.”

“If killing that bastard didn’t have to be so specific, I’d- “

“-we know. Make a nice ice sculpture out of him.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Once his Dad had calmed down enough, the pair made their way back to the main control room, just in time to see Stein and Rip stride in.

“How's Kendra?” asked Stein, causing Lucas to wince slightly. He’d completely forgotten about her.

Sara sighed, “The same.”

“So, what now?” asked Jax

Rip simply shrugged, “Now? Now it's up to you.”

“To do what, Rip?” growled Len, “Last I checked, every time we try to do anything, it all goes to crap.”

“Oh, once again I must disagree with you….” Rip moved to the centre of the room, ignoring how Lucas scowled at him, “… Thanks to Miss Lance, Dr. Palmer’s future technology is no longer in the hands of Vandal Savage's black market weapons designers.”

Stein frowned, “But it didn't do anything to change the fate of your world.”

“… No. Vandal Savage will still rise to power in the year 2166.”

“And your family will still die?” Jax seemed very distressed at this.

“So, what you're really asking is, do we want to fish or cut bait?”

Lucas nodded in agreement with his Dad, “Yeah! Return to 2016 and live out the rest of our lives as insignificant losers or- “

“- Make another play at becoming legends.” Interrupted Ray, “Figure out how to end Savage and save the world.”

“Preferably, without causing any more nuclear explosions.”

Mick glanced at his son and prodded at the wound on his own head, “Savage has my attention.”

Len nodded and stood up, “Look, we didn't know Carter from Adam, but if you take out one of my crew, you better pay the price…. Threatening my family is a one-way trip to a death sentence.”

“Surely Captain Hunter has a sound plan...” Stein queried, turning to Jax, “…What about you?”

“You're asking me?” exclaimed Jax

“I didn't give you much of a choice the first time, did I?”

“Well, I say we kick Savage's ass…. For Carter.”

All at once, the team muttered “For Carter.” (although Lucas and his family muttered it a bit quieter than the rest)

“So, Captain…” began Stein, “…Where are we going next?”


	22. Blood Ties AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)

Lucas was used to waking up to alarms or sirens…. He did live with criminals after all. However, these alarms sounded different. 

Hurrying out of bed, he began to get changed, pulling a Cheshire Cat T-shirt out of his drawer.

“Good afternoon Master Rory-Snart…” came Gideon’s voice from the ceiling, “… we have landed in Leipzig, Germany, in case you wanted to know.”

“Not really…” he muttered, but thanked the AI anyway and headed out of the room, making a detour to the kitchen and grabbing an apple, before entering the main control room. His parents were already up and there, so Lucas seated himself on the floor by his Dad.

“What’s up Doc?” he chuckled, soon wiping the smile off his face when no-one smiled, “What happened? Is Kendra alright?”

Rip shook his head, “I’m afraid not Mister Snart- “

“- Rory-Snart.”

“…Rory-Snart. Pieces of the dagger have apparently broken off and are, as we speak, en route to her heart.”

Jax frowned, “Can't we just time jump into the future where they got the stuff that can fix her?”

“This ship is from that very same future and has, thus far, been unsuccessful in saving her.”

“Kendra wouldn't survive the time jump anyway….” Sighed Len, snatching the apple from his son’s hand and taking a bite, before handing it back.

Rip glanced at him in disbelief, causing Len to shrug. “I pay attention.”

At this point, Mick also snatched the apple from Lucas’s hand, biting and handing it back, ignoring his son’s protests. “So…” the arsonist began, “… To sum up, Carter Hall is dead, the girlfriend's not too far behind, Vandal Savage is sitting pretty in 1975, which we're all stuck in! That how the plan supposed to work, Rip?”

“Obviously not, but the mission is simple. We stop Vandal Savage here in the past and we save the future!”

“Simple don't mean easy.” Lucas sighed, keeping a careful eye on his parents, and holding his apple close to him.

“Oh, I never said it was. The benefit of being a Time Master is that the length and breadth of history gives one… perspective. I've seen darker days. I've seen men of steel die and dark knights fall, and even then, I accomplished my mission no matter what.”

There was silence for a few moments, before Rip sighed. “Gideon, what is our status?”

The console in the middle of the room lit up, showing the blueprints of the ship. “When the Waverider was attacked by Chronos, the Jumpship was damaged….” Answered Gideon, “… Unless you make repairs, we will be unable to- “

“Wait, Jumpship?” interrupted Jax.

“It's a small expeditionary vessel at the belly of the Waverider- “Rip paused, “…you're a mechanic! You have a look at it.” He practically ordered Jax, completely missing how Lucas and Len glanced at each other and smirked.

“Uh auto mechanic!” Jax was not impressed with the order, “Uh spaceship!”

Rip just stared at him until Jax sighed, “Okay, if you've got a set of wrenches, I'll see what I can do.”

Rip grinned and moved to leave, pausing when Mick spoke up. “What about the rest of us? Do we just sit?”

“Capital idea, Mr. Rory. You're not nearly as thick as most people say.”

Mick immediately planted a stupid look on his face and turned to his son, “Thick does that mean stupid?”

Lucas leapt to his feet and grinned at the dumb routine, “I think our Captain needs to learn the golden rule. If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”

……………………………………………………………………………….

“You plan to hijack the Jumpship?” grunted Mick, “Why?”

Len smirked, “Diamonds. Emeralds. Sapphires… need I go on? All in the museums around the world… specifically though, the Central City museum is currently housing a very valuable emerald, which is due to be stolen in less than three days. I intend to steal it first.”

Mick and Lucas glanced at each, before Mick shrugged and nodded. “Fine. So, what’s the plan boss?”

“First, we need to get the key that will start the Jumpship… and that’s where our little pickpocket comes in.”

Lucas scowled, “I’m not little… much.”

……………………………………………………………………..

As they got nearer to the main control room, they overheard the ending of a conversation between Sara and, they assumed, Rip.

“I'm going with you to that bank.” Stated Sara

“Somebody say bank?” Len smirked as he entered the room.

Rip sighed, a few days into the mission and he was already fed up with the criminal trio apparently. “Your services aren't required, Mr. Snart. This is purely reconnaissance.”

“We know how to case banks…” growled Mick as he and Lucas followed Len into the room, “… We're practically bankers.”

“'Cept we take the money out.” Chuckled Lucas, pickpocketing his Papa’s wallet and skipping back when the older man mock-growled at him.

“Yes…” sighed Rip, “… and when I need someone to steal something, you'll be the first to know, I assure you.”

This was the last straw for Mick, “Listen, Englishman. I'm getting bored being stuck on this tin can. And when I get bored, I make bad decisions.”

“Now, now, now, we're all on the same side here.” Interrupted Len, placing his hands in between the two in order to encourage Mick to take a step back.

Lucas came up on the other side of Rip and grinned, placing a hand on the Captain’s back. “My hot-headed Papa, the Ice King and I just want to be helpful… That's all.”

“Duly noted…” Rip sneered, before he and Sara left the room.

After they left the room, Mick growled, “You should have let me punch him.”

Len and Lucas nodded, with Lucas flicking his fingers and revealing the Jumpship key that he had slipped into his jacket sleeve. “Yeah, then we wouldn't have gotten this” he chuckled.

“Hm.” Mick ruffled his sons’ hair, silently proud of the mini Snart.

………………………………………………………..

Without waiting for anyone to realise that they’d stolen the access key, the criminal trio raced towards the Jumpship.

“Ha! Nice ride!” exclaimed Mick, grinning at Jax who was at the helm.

Jax grinned, “Yeah, it can hit a Mach 3 in a walk. Pretty cool.”

As the trio seated themselves behind Jax, Len leaned forwards. “How'd you know so much about it?”

“Little thing called an instruction manual.”

Did you read the part about how to fly this thing?”

This immediately caught Jax’s suspicions. “Maybe… Why?” he asked, glancing between Mick and Len.

“We're gonna take a little sojourn to Central City. There's a priceless jewel that needs to be freed from captivity.”

“You want me to help you steal something? Nah, man. I'll pass.”

This time, Lucas leaned forwards. “Jax… we’re not exactly asking.”

There was silence for a few moments before Jax shook his head. “Wow…. Carter is dead, Kendra is this close to joining him, and Vandal Savage is still alive and out there doing God knows what, and all you three can think about is stealing some diamond?”

Lucas shrugged, “Actually, it's an emerald…. Apparently.”

“Is there anything you three think about other than yourself?”

Len grinned, “Yes. Money.”

Standing up from his seat, Jax shook his head again. “Nah. I'm not helping you guys steal anything. So, if you want to shoot me, then shoot me!”

Mick was quick to shoot up from his own seat at this, with Len quickly coming in between the pair. “Can I shoot him?” 

“You got a pair on you, kid.” Drawled Len, “I respect that.”

“So, no shooting?”

Lucas patted the arsonist on the back, sighing with mock sympathy. He knew that his parents wouldn’t really have killed the young man.

Len smirked at this, turning his attention back to Jax (who was glaring at Lucas). “Look, you don't actually have to help us steal anything. We just need to get to Central City. We'll be there and back before anyone knows we're even gone.”

“Man, even if I wanted to help, and I'm not saying that I do, this thing's got a security lockout.” Jax sighed, “We need an access key.”

This time, Lucas was the one who leant forwards, reaching into his jean pockets and pulling out the key he had stolen from Hunter. “You can't tell me you don't wanna see what this baby can do?” Lucas smirked, waving it around until Jax grinned.

………………………………………………………………………………………

‘They should be ashamed of themselves.’ Mused Lucas as he stepped over the body of the lone guard who was on duty, following behind his Dad and Papa, ‘One guard guarding this beauty?’

………………………………………………………………………………………….

“That's what I call a clean heist!” laughed Mick as they made their way back onto the Jumpship.

Len nodded in agreement, ruffling Lucas’s hair as the teen rushed past him. “And thanks for not setting the museum on fire, partner. And you…” he grinned at Jax, “…thanks for being our getaway driver.”

“Speaking of, let's get the hell back to the ship!” Jax was clearly not happy.

“Oh, one more stop.”

Lucas and Mick frowned at Len. This wasn’t part of the plan that they knew of.

“What're you talking about, boss?” asked Mick.

Len ignored him, and continued talking to Jax. “1629 Handley Avenue.”

“What's on Handley Avenue?”

Before Len could answer Jax, Mick spoke up. “It's where we grew up…. That's why you wanted to steal the Maximilian Emerald.”

“Mick, enough!”

Mick might have decided to leave it, but Lucas soon picked up on what his Papa was going to say. “You wanted to give it to your old man so he wouldn't go to jail trying to steal it for himself!

“Your father was a thief too?” asked Jax in disbelief.

“And unfortunately, not a very good one.”

“Didn't Rip say something about not messing with the timeline?” Mick sighed, with Lucas nodding by his side.

“Yeah, you could accidently blink yourself out of existence!”

Along with Mick and Lucas, Jax also seemed to agree. “You're screwing with history here, man.”

“Yeah, well, history screwed with me first!”

………………………………………………………………………………………

As the Jumpship landed in a field by his Dad’s old house, Lucas quickly followed Leonard as the man stormed out of the ship, having not received the support he thought he would. Before they reached the house, Leonard span around and frowned at his son. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m coming with you?”

Leonard rose an eyebrow, “Really? I would’ve thought meeting my Father again would be the last thing on your list?”

“If it wasn’t for the fact that it would probably prevent Aunt Lisa from being born, I’d shoot him in his dick!”

“… You’re not really selling the whole ‘coming with me’ thing.”

Lucas shrugged, “I don’t care. Are we going or not?”

“…. Fine.”

Silently, the pair strode up to the house, with Leonard quickly breaking in. The pair crept through the dining room, towards the kitchen. As they did, Lucas took note of all the beer bottles on the table and the kitchen counter.

Sure, his Papa drank a lot, but never to this extent.

He frowned as his Dad moved as though to tidy up the bottles, only to flinch away, gently holding on to his wrist as though stopping himself. The pair moved into the sitting room, and Lucas couldn’t help but smile at the teddy bear on the coffee table.

“I came down for a glass of water….”

Leo and Lucas span around at the young voice, their eyes widening at the small child in the hallway, dressed in a dinosaur onesie and clutching an empty glass.

“…I'm Leo. Are you friends with my daddy?”

“No…” muttered Leo under his breath as his Dad answered, “Kind of.”

“I think my daddy's sleeping.”

Lucas watched as his Dad knelt in front of his younger self (and wasn’t that a kick to the gut). “Can I tell you something, Leo? It's important….” began the older man, “… Don't ever let anyone hurt you. Ever. Not here…” he tapped the side of his head, “…and especially not here.” He stated, tapping mini Leo on his chest. “No matter what, you always have to look out for yourself. Okay? You understand?”

Mini Leo nodded, “I think so.”

Suddenly, there was the sound of a gun cocking behind them as a younger, but familiar voice growled “You get the hell away from my boy, you son of a bitch” behind them.

There was a tense silence for a while, before Len nodded towards the stairs. “Why don't you go on up to bed? Go on….” He glanced at Lucky and silently indicated for the teen to go with the child.

Not wanting to stick around, Lucas gently encouraged Leo to head up the stairs and into his own room. 

“Is that man your Daddy?” asked Mini Len, as he climbed into bed.

Lucas grinned, staring around at all the toys his Dad used to have, “Yep.”

“…. Are my Daddy and your Daddy going to hurt each other?”

Frowning, Lucas came over to the child and pulled the duvet up to his shoulders, reaching over to grab a teddy. “I think…. They’re just going to talk okay? My Dad is trying to help.”

“You promise?”

Lucas held out his pinkie finger and smirked, “Pinkie promise.”

Mini Len did nothing, frowning at the finger until Lucas hooked their pinkie’s together. “There we go…” chuckled Lucas, “… I’ve pinkie promised, so my Dad won’t hurt yours. Okay?”

“…Okay.”

From downstairs, nothing could be heard, which prompted Lucas to grin at mini Len. “See. No yelling or crashing. Everything’s fine.”

“Silence doesn’t mean no anger.”

Lucas found that the words got stuck in his throat…. How could he respond to a statement like that?

“Kid!” Len yelled up the stairs, “Come on!”

Lucas leapt off the bed and headed towards the door, pausing only to grin at Mini Len, “Everything will be alright okay? Something’s going to come along in a couple of years that’s going to blow your mind! It’ll take your mind off everything!”

Without waiting for an answer, he headed back downstairs and grinned at his Dad. “That was fun…. Nice toys.”

“Action figures. As you should know.”

As they headed outside, Len frowned as Lucas began to run his hands up and down his arms. “What are you doing?”

“Making sure I’m not going to blink out of existence…. After all, without you, I don’t exist.”

“I’m not your biological Father you know. You would still be born even if I didn’t become a criminal.”

“But I wouldn’t have been found… not before I froze to death.”

Len paused, “… I didn’t think about that.”

As they walked over to where Mick and Jax were waiting, Mick took a step forwards, “Looks like you didn't write yourself out of the timeline.”

“Looks like.” Answered Len, scowling as he mused to himself.

“But?”

Len glanced at Jax, “I don't know, I just thought maybe things would feel differently.”

“The Englishman says it takes time for time to change.” Grunted Mick

“What were you trying to change?” asked Jax.

Len sighed, “My dad was never father of the year, but at least he never raised a hand to any of us.”

“Until he went to prison!” realized Jax, “…. which now he won't!”

Lucas remained unconvinced, “Let's get out of here.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………..

The trip back to the Waverider was uncomfortable to say the least…. Only made more uncomfortable by the annoyed voice that came over the communicator.

“Jefferson? Jefferson, where are you?”

Jax winced at Stein’s voice, “Well, it's not a short story.”

“There's no time! Gideon will upload you coordinates to the Greyhill Building. Rip and Sara are in danger.”

They all glanced at each other, before Len sighed. “We're on our way, Professor.”

“Yay….” Muttered Lucas, “…just what we need.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

As they landed by the Greyhill building, Mick and Jax leapt out and raced towards the entrance. Lucas moved as though to follow them, but was quickly stopped by his Dad.

“Not a chance in hell…” stated the man, “… the last time you came up against Savage, he put a gun to your head!”

“I’m not going to stay in here and let you guys be shot at! I can help!”

“Sit down!” yelled Len, a brief look of shock flashing across his face at his own vocal volume before it schooled back into a neutral expression, “I won’t tell you again Lucky. If I see you in that building, you’ll be grounded until you have a fifteen-year-old brat of your own!”

Lucas pouted, practically falling back onto the seat. “Fine…. But you’ve got to stop treating me like a child soon!”

“Not until you’re eighteen. Then you’ll stop being a child.”

Without another word, he strode out of the Jumpship, leaving a fuming teenager behind…. Not for long though. Ignoring his Dad’s explicit orders, Lucas left the ship and ran into the building, soon catching sight of Jax disappearing around a corner.

Not that he needed to see Jax.

The fighting and the familiar sound of his parents’ guns clued him into where the fight was happening. Trying to avoid most the fighting (and his Dad’s eye), Lucas quickly noticed that Sara was kneeling by an altar (which had Carter’s body on it…. creepy!), her hands bound behind her back.

“Well this is different…” he laughed, removing his trusty knife from a pocket and sawing at the ropes, “…. I didn’t peg you for the eyes wide shut type.”

“Do your parents know what you’re watching on the ship’s computer?” she chuckled, nodding her thanks when her hands were free.

“Oh please….” Lucas quickly span around to stab someone in the side, “…. Rip was travelling alone for a while, with no wife to keep him company. Gideon must be used to…. That kind of viewing habit.”

“Don’t let him catch you saying that.”

“Yeah, yeah….” Lucas glanced around, “…. Right, I’ve got to get out of here, before- “

“GROUNDED!” yelled Len from the other side of the room, having clearly caught sight of his son, “GET THE HELL BACK TO THE SHIP!”

Turning away, Lucas bowed at Sara. “Sorry to save and run, but if you need me, I’ll have barricaded myself in my room. If Dad asks, he was hallucinating!”

Without waiting for an answer, Lucas raced out of the room and headed back towards the Waverider, not even pausing when a few of Savage’s goons tried to stop him.

…………………………………………………………………

What seemed like hours later, Lucas peeked his head out of his room and glanced down both ends of the corridor.

Clear.

Slowly, he edged out of the room and headed towards the main control room. Standing in the doorway, he spotted his Dad watching a screen with a news report on it.

“Maybe you didn't understand me, I asked for the new timeline, Gideon.” Drawled Len

“This is the new timeline. Two days from now, your father will be arrested trying to sell the Maximilian Emerald to an undercover police officer.”

Lena and Lucas both sighed at this, “Stupid son of a bitch.” They muttered (although Lucas was quieter about it).

“He'll be sentenced to five years in Iron Heights….” Continued Gideon, “…Despite your intervention, his future remains unchanged.”

Easily seeing that his Dad was slightly upset by this news, Lucas made his way forward. However, Jax beat him to it.

“Hey, you tried to save him. That's got to count for something?”

Len shook his head, “Turns out it doesn't.”

He turned around, and smirked at his son, silently beckoning for him to come closer. Sheepishly, Lucas shuffled closer, opening his mouth to try and defend himself.

However, before he could say anything, Sara strode into the room and gestured for them to follow her. “Come on.”

Thankful for the interruption, Lucas practically rushed out the door as Len frowned. “Where are we going now?”

“…To say good-bye.”

…………………………………………………

“I can’t believe you guys carried a dead body this far…” muttered Lucas, “… didn’t anybody stop you?”

“Shut up brat.”

Lucas rolled his eyes, choosing to stand by his Papa (as his Dad was probably still ticked off at him).

“The other day, I tried to find some words of inspiration….” Began Rip, “…. Words that would restore hope to us in the wake of our losses, but it is all of you who have inspired me. Beginning with Professor Boardman and then with Carter, their heroism is an inspiration to us all. And a reminder that one person acting alone can't save the world.”

Sensing that the ‘funeral’ was over, Lucas (who felt a little awkward standing over a grave of a man he barely knew) shuffled over to Kendra. “Sorry…” he muttered, before rushing to follow his parents.

…………………………………………………………….

Lucas’s ears were still ringing after the scolding his Dad had just given him… for a quiet-spoken man, Len’s voice could sure reach impressive levels.

After the scolding, Len and Lucas met up with the rest of the team in the control room. A few minutes later, Rip came rushing in, “Gideon, ready us for take off!”

“Whoa, are we being chased or something?” asked Jax.

“No, but I imagine that right about now, the museum has realized that their prized emerald is missing.” Rip aimed this directly at the criminal trio.

Len shrugged, “You want me to say I'm sorry?”

“Sorry, I don't do sorry.”

As Lucas chuckled at his Papa, Rip shook his head. “Which is fine, Mr. Rory, because you are owed the apology….”

Mick tilted his head in confusion as Rip continued.

“…I should have told you all before that this wasn't my first attempt to vanquish Vandal Savage, but the reason I failed before- “

“- Was because you didn't have all of us.” Interrupted Ray.

Stein nodded in agreement, “Obviously, Dr. Palmer and I had our hands full tending to Ms. Saunders, but now that she's back on her feet- “

“- We're back to full strength.” Finished Rip.

“Or as strong as we can be without Carter.”

Lucas winced at the sorrow in Kendra’s voice, “Yeah, don’t forget about him….” He muttered

“Quite true…” sighed Rip, “…but there is no point in us continuing any further. Unless we are all and myself included, committed to working in concert.”

“You don't ditch us, we won't ditch you. Deal?”

Rip nodded at Len, grinning when Gideon spoke up.

“ Sir, I've completed my review of the timeline. I calculate a 98% likelihood that Savage reappears in 1986.”

“Chart a course, Gideon!” ordered Rip as the team made their way to the seats.

“Guess we're headed to the '80s….” stated Ray, “… Better break out your parachute pants.”

“What the hell are parachute pants?” asked both Jax and Lucas, high-fiving each other as the adults winced.

Fuck they were old.


	23. White Knights AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)
> 
> //Indicates that they’re speaking Russian\\\

“That wasn't so bad, was it?” asked Rip as the Waverider slowed down and entered autopilot.

As Lucas shook his head and Mick retched silently beside him, Len sighed. “Walk in the park. So where are we now?”

“Washington, D.C. The year is 1986.”

Stretching his legs, Stein frowned at this. “We've landed at the height of the Cold War in a world poised for nuclear annihilation?!”

“I’m with the Prof…” groaned Lucas, “… one wrong move, which is likely, and we could start a nuclear war!”

Just as he finished, Gideon appeared over the control table. “We've travelled here because I have a new lead on Vandal Savage's location.”

“Yes!” began Rip, striding over, “Gideon managed to intercept this telefax concerning Savage's last known whereabouts.”

“Tele-what?” asked Jax, glancing at Lucas, who shrugged at him, also confused.

“It’s like an email… on paper.” Answered Ray as the team gathered around the control table

As a file appeared on the screen, they noticed that every word was blacked out. “Wow...” drawled Lucas, smirking at Rip, “…that's totally useless.”

Jax clearly agreed. “Dude, this whole thing's crossed out!”

“Yeah, redacted by the U.S. government, which is why we are here to steal the original file on Savage back from those who are tracking him.”

Rip turned to stare out the window, prompting everyone else to turn that way as well. Some groaned when they saw where they were and some (read as the criminals) grinned, already sensing what the mission was going to be

“Uh, that's the- “

“Now, now Don't worry….” Rip interrupted Ray, “…We are cloaked.”

Mick chuckled as his husband and turned to him with barely concealed glee at the challenge ahead of them, “You want us to break in to the Pentagon? Sounds awesome.”

“Hell yeah!” exclaimed Lucas, “Breaking into the Pentagon is a life goal! This is like all my birthdays and Christmases rolled into one!”

Kendra shook her head at this, “It sounds crazy.”

“What's the plan?”

Rip grinned at Sara, “Oh, the Fabricator will fashion you the necessary Pentagon credentials.”

“Ooh, and don't forget our G-man disguises!”

Everyone turned to stare at Ray, but he continued without even a hint of shame.

“I always wanted to be a spy.”

………………………………………………………………..

“A caretaker…” groaned Lucas, pulling at the blue overall as he pushed the mop across the floor, “… Surely there are more fashionable disguises?”

Len rolled his eyes, “Stop whining. I realise this is more housework than what you’re used to, but I’m finding myself unsympathetic at the moment.”

Resisting the urge to sigh, Lucas turned away from his Dad. After the incident back in 1975, it was clear that Len was still mad at his son. Even Ray seemed to notice as he gave Lucas a concerned look.

“Now, the file we're after is kept in a secure records room….” Stated Rip over the comms, “…In order to gain access, we're going to need to, uh…borrow a magnetic key card.”

Ray rolled his eyes, “Because this is so much easier than just shrinking down and stealing it.”

As Lucas straightened up in preparation, hearing the familiar clipping of high heels approaching, Len smirked at Ray. “Let us show you how it's done, old school.”

As a female officer slipped on the wet floor, Len (who had already dropped his mop) caught her as Lucas went to help her.

“Oh gosh!” babbled Lucas, “oh gosh, I’m so sorry!”

“You okay, ma'am?” asked Len as he and his son helped to straighten the lady up, “I’m sorry, the boy’s new to the job. He should have warned you that the floor was wet.”

As Lucas continued to apologise, the officer simply straightened out her uniform, “No need to worry.” She smiled at Len, who was using his charm to the fullest, “I wasn't watching where I was going. Thank you.”

“Just doing my job.” Drawled Len, “I’ll make sure junior improves by the end of the day.”

Lucas hunched over, as though in shame as the officer glanced at him. She simply nodded sharply, before striding away. Once she was out of sight, Len smirked at Ray and pulled out a key card.

“That's a nifty little trick.” Exclaimed Ray in appreciation. His smile soon fell from his face though when Lucas then pulled out a wallet, an identical smirk on his face.

“Really?” Ray sighed, “We're trying to save the world and you're lifting wallets?”

“It's called multitasking Puppy.” Lucas didn’t even glance up as he skimmed through the wallet, pocketing several dollar bills, “If I’ve got to dress in this hideous thing, then I’m making some money whilst doing it.”

There was silence, which prompted him to glance up at Ray and his Dad…. Who were just staring at him. Mentally, he went over what he said, before rolling eyes. “No… that wasn’t a reference to stripping or prostitution.”

As Sara and Kendra strode towards them, both dressed in military uniforms, Len slipped them the key card.

“The records room has closed-circuit cameras…. We need a diversion.” Stated Rip over the comms, addressing Mick (who got to do the fun stuff in Lucas’s opinion).

“What do we do now?” he whispered to Len.

“Pack up. We’ve done our part.”

Once Sara confirmed that she and Kendra had the file, Rip sighed. “Okay, now for the tricky part. All personnel are subject to search upon exiting the Pentagon. Firestorm will divert the power long enough for you to exit.”

As Len, Ray and Mick headed towards the exit, the alarms suddenly began to blaze. Trying not to look too suspicious, the trio picked up the pace slightly.

“Where is that smoke coming from?” Rip asked.

Lucas turned to smirk at his Dad, but Len didn’t even look at him, 

“Ah!” exclaimed Rip, as something else clearly went wrong, “We've got the file. What the hell does Kendra think she's doing?”

Sighing, the janitor trio quickly rushed out of the Pentagon grounds as Rip got more and more agitated.

“All right, wonderful, we've got a demigoddess who's gone completely berserk. Abort. I repeat, abort. Get back to ship right now!”

There was a loud crash, and Rip groaned.

“I meant, "Use the door," but while you're at it, can you help return our winged avenger to her cage?”

“Oh, we’re missing everything!” groaned Lucas as they broke into a run, in order to make it to the Waverider.

………………………………….

After getting changed into regular clothes, there was a meeting in the main control room…. With a very disappointed Rip.

Ray cleared his throat, “Instead of dwelling on what went wrong, let's focus on the positive.”

“What are you talking about?” grunted Mick, “It was awesome.”

“Hell yeah it was!” Lucas cheered, high-fiving his Papa as the man chuckled.

Stein shook his head at their antics. “In the same way that tsunamis, earthquakes, and other natural disasters are ‘awesome.’”

“We got the file on Savage.” Kendra was very tense at the back of the room, arms crossed as she shuffled from side to side.

“Despite the hiccup with the alarm?”

“Oh, so it's my fault now? You know, maybe if you weren't always yammering away in my head, I could actually focus!” yelled Jax

“You have access to 60 years of knowledge and experience. Why not just take advantage of that?”

“Because it's my body on the line out there, not yours!”

“Hey!” interrupted Sara, “It's not your fault…. Everything would have been fine if Big Bird over here hadn't freaked out.”

“Excuse me?!”

“Enough!” ordered Rip, “There is plenty of blame to go around.”

“Hey! How are we to blame?!” Lucas asked in shock, “We did our job perfectly!”

Rip just ignored him. “Now, fortunately, Gideon was able to generate a low-end EMP, which erased all the Pentagon's magnetic media.”

“Like security footage?”

Ignoring Ray as well, Rip continued. “Look, you're just lucky that the Department of Defence likes to keep incidents like this under wraps. Gideon, any luck with our purloined secret file? Please say yes.”

“Yes, Captain. According to the Pentagon, Savage has defected to the Soviet Union.”

There was a tense silence before Stein spoke up, “So, the most powerful evil the world has ever known has just gone red at the height of the Cold War.”

“And now he's gonna help them cook up something that kills the future.” Sighed Ray.

“Gideon, set a course for the Soviet Union.”

As Gideon complied with the order, Len and Mick str4ode out of the room towards the kitchen. Lucas was quick to follow.

“Dad…. Dad wait, I need to talk to you!”

Len seemed as though he was going to continue, however, Mick stopped him. “Len…” he scolded, “… don’t do this.”

As Lucas caught up, he shouldered past his parents and stood in front of his Dad. “Please…” he whispered, “… you can’t keep giving me the cold shoulder like this. I said I was sorry.”

“Your apologies are meaningless when you don’t mean them.” Drawled Len, “Every time I tell you to stay away, you rush straight into danger and I’m fed up of it. You are still a child, despite what you seem to believe, and it’s my job to protect you. Telling you to stay out of danger, is protecting you!”

“You’re not protecting me, I feel like you’re keeping me locked up! I used to do more with you when I wasn’t even ten! I broke you out of prison when I was fourteen! You even let me go steal that dagger! But, it’s like none of that ever happened!”

“That’s because you’re not going up against the police, or even a good two-shoes like the Flash. If I let you come with us, you’d be going up against a psychopath…. Again.”

Lucas sighed, taking a deep breath. “Look. What happened back in 1975, when we broke into Savage’s house…. That was a one off, we weren’t prepared! How were we meant to know that Savage lived there!”

“Precisely. We were unprepared. And by keeping you out of situations like that, there’s no chance of it happening again.”

“So what now? You’re just gonna let me out of this hellhole when you need me to steal something?!”

“No. Because I can do that…. Better than you in fact.”

Mick winced. Lucas was very proud of his thief skills, and for Len to dismiss them like that was just asking for trouble.

“Fuck you!”

Yeah…. Trouble.

There was a tense silence for a few moments, before Len shook his head. “Fine. If you want to get yourself killed, then who am I to stop you. Do what you like. I’m finished trying to keep you safe.”

“Good!”

Mick watched in dismay as the pair stormed in opposite directions, as the Waverider began to slow down. Quickly, he followed his son, “Lucky, listen I- “

“- Forget it.” Lucas stopped in the middle of the corridor, before spinning around and heading in the same direction as Len, “Fuck him. I’m not running to my room like a kid.”

The pair strode in just as they heard Ray say “Wow, it's a MiG-21. No one's ever been this close to one before.

Lucas rolled his eyes, “Are you quoting ‘Top Gun’?”

“Maybe.”

Watching as an air-craft (which Lucas presumed was a Russian one) doubled back, Gideon spoke up again. “I've got heat-seeking missiles closing at a distance of less than a mile.”

“Which is why I need you to cut the engines.”

Both Jax and Lucas turned to stare at Rip. 

“Whoa, wait, don't we need those to land?” exclaimed Jax in alarm.

“I said, "Cut them," Gideon.”

There was the sound of the engines cutting out and the Waverider began to plummet to the ground.

“Missiles are now targeting something else.”

At Gideon’s statement, Jax turned to grin at Rip. “Chronos!”

“I suggest you all strap yourselves in.” Rip ordered, despite everyone already rushing to do that, “It's going to be a bit of a bumpy landing.”

“Initiating emergency landing protocol.”

“How's it going, Gideon?”

“There's not much more I can do. Elevation is 5,000. 4,000. 3,000.”

Rip winced, “When I said, ‘bumpy,’ I meant, ‘Prepare for crash landing.’”

Almost as soon as he finished, the Waverider hit the ground, causing everyone to jerk around as the craft skidded along the frozen ground.

After the Waverider came to a stop, it took everyone a while to recover.

“Good news, Captain.” Stated Gideon, in her annoyingly cheerful voice, “Despite our rough landing, the ship is still fully operational.”

As Lucas pried his fingers away from the seatbelt, he spotted his Dad slumping over in his seat, taking deep breaths.

“Welcome to the U.S.S.R. gentlemen.” Groaned Rip.

As everyone in the main control room checked themselves over for injury (with Lucas not looking at his Dad), Stein strode into the room. “If it were up to me, they would revoke your pilot's license!”

“’They’ are more than welcome to, considering I don't have one….” Noticing that Stein had the stolen file in his hand, Rip leapt out of his seat, “Did you get anything on Savage from the Pentagon file?”

“It appears our friend has been quite busy since we last saw him.”

“Svarog?”

“God of fire in Slavic mythology a secret project the Soviets are working on. Considering Savage's involvement, most likely some sort of weapon.”

Ray picked up the file, turning to a background check on an individual suspected to be working with Savage. “Valentina Vostok. Graduated top of her physics program and then just dropped out of academia.”

“To help develop Savage's new weapon, no doubt.”

“The Cold War's up for grabs, and Miss Vostok is the linchpin.”

Getting to his feet, Len strode over to have a look at the file himself, “I say we put two in the back of her head and call it a day.”

“We have no idea who this woman is or what her effect may be on history.” Ray huffed, “She may be the next Madame Curie for all we know.”

“She's working for Savage. That's all we need to know.”

“She probably has no idea who's backing her research! Just let me approach her as a scientist, and we'll see what she knows about Savage's weapons program.”

“It's 1986, you're American, and you don't speak Russian. She'll have you pegged as a spy in a second.”

Ray lowered his eyes, sighing as he realised that Len was right.

“Perhaps I can help with that.” Interrupted Rip, sliding a small box with pill-like objects over to the team, “Ingestible translators. They attach to your larynx via neural interface. Swallow them you can speak and understand any language spoken to you.”

Len and Ray both swallowed a pill each.

“How do you turn it on?”

Rip smirked at Stein, “Gideon? Switch them into Russian.”

Silence.

“Go on. Say something!”

//I don’t know what to say\\\ stated Ray, before his face crumpled in confusion, //Wait, I'm still speaking English\\\

Noting how everyone, with the exception of Len and Lucas was looking at him in confusion, he frowned. //Why are you all staring at me?\\\

Rip simply grinned at him causing Ray to beam, //Oh my goodness! I'm speaking Russian now, aren't I?\\\

//Now you're annoying in multiple languages.\\\

Everyone turned to stare at Lucas, who was massaging his hand after having gripped the seatbelt so tightly

“Gideon…” frowned Rip, keeping his eye on Lucas (as he hadn’t seen the teen take a translator) “…switch them back to English.”

//That won’t help Captain… I can speak Russian without your fancy pills.\\\

Ray frowned, glancing between Lucas and Len. “I-I didn’t know you guys spoke Russian?”

“I don’t…” stated Len, staring at his son, “… and I wasn’t aware that you did?”

Lucas shrugged, “I’ve been learning in Central City. Old Ivan who runs the diner near Saints and Sinners, he’s running away from the Russian Mob in Star City. He’s been teaching me…” Stopping and thinking to himself, he grinned, “I think he’d be about twenty now.”

“You’ve been having lessons with a member of the Russian mob?! Why didn’t you tell me?! And when?!”

Glaring at his Dad, Lucas bristled, straightening up. “You were in prison, Papa was getting drunk, Ivan was the one feeding me and making sure everything was alright! And before you ask, no I don’t owe him anything! I was stealing enough to pay him and buy Papa alcohol.”

Ignoring how everyone who wasn’t a criminal seemed distressed by the idea of a teen taking care of himself, Len glared at the boy. “Why didn’t you tell me? You’ve had months and months to tell me about this, and you haven’t, why?!”

“You never asked.”

“…. Have you been seeing him since?”

There was a tense silence for a bit, before Lucas nodded, “Yeah… I sometimes go to his diner.”

“Great…. My son has the attention of some pedo- “

“He’s not interested in me like that!” interrupted Lucas, “It’s perfectly innocent!”

Before Len could reply, Rip decided it was time to step in (far too late in everyone else’s private opinion). “Anyway! According to Vostok's file, she's a big fan of the ballet. She has box seats at the Bolshoi and attends every performance.”

“It seems the final performance of "Le Roi Candaule" is today.” Stated Gideon.

“Dr. Palmer, you will engage Vostok at the ballet, whilst you…” he turned to Leonard, “… Mr. Snart you're going to be his wingman.”

This turned Len’s attention away from Lucas as he raised an eyebrow at Rip, “Oy.”

In his usual enthusiastic way, Ray grabbed the file and practically bounced away. “Better go bone up on Vostok's CV!”

“I guess I'll bone up on the ballet.”

As his Dad went to the console, Lucas went to leave the room, “Have fun… Gideon, bone him.”

Without waiting for an answer, Lucas left, heading straight for his room. As he strode past his parent’s room, he was yanked inside by his Papa.

“You two make up yet?”

Lucas groaned, “It’s been like…. Half an hour since our discussion. No, we haven’t and if I have my way, I won’t back down until Dad admits he’s wrong.”

“…. You two are never to get along again.” Mick frowned as his son simply shrugged, Lucas’s fingers running over the Heat Gun, “Did something else happen?”

There was silence for a bit, before Lucas sighed and twisted around to face his Papa. “When Dad was in prison…. Did you ever worry about if I was eating?”

Slightly offended by the question, Mick frowned. “Course I did. Until that old Russian who runs the diner came to see me to let me know what was going on.”

“… Ivan told you he was- “

“- taking care of you? Yeah. I tried to pay the old man back, but he told me you were paying him.”

Lucas nodded as Mick continued, “Ivan’s a good man. I trust him, because when you’d come home, you were happy. I knew it wasn’t me.”

“… He was teaching me Russian as well.”

Mick chuckled at this, “Well that’s useful now.”

Before Lucas could reply, the door slid open and Len strode in (all dressed up in a black suit) stopping in his tracks when he saw the pair. Straightening up, he walked over to a wardrobe, “I’m going to be helping Raymond seduce a scientist. Wish me luck.”

Lucas didn’t say anything, but Mick gave his husband an appraising look over. “You’re in a suit… you expect me to just let you go out without me appreciating you in a suit?”

“Yes!” interrupted Lucas, “Let him go, because your son is in the room!”

Len sneered, “Funny how you pull the child card when it suits you.”

“No, I’m pulling the ‘I’m your son’ card! No son wants to see his parents…. Do that!”

“You can’t even say it!”

“Have sex! There, I said it!”

Before they could continue, Mick shot to his feet. “And you two have officially ruined the mood. Lenny… I think Haircut needs you?”

Grabbing his coat, Len stormed out of the room without even a backward glance at his husband or son. Once he was gone, Mick frowned at his son.

“What?!”

“You know what… what’s with this sudden need to argue with your Dad?”

“He started it!”

Throwing his hands in the air, Mick shook his head. “I give up! I need food if I’m gonna deal with you two!”

“Ooo can you make me some pancakes?”

“Chocolate chips?”

“Hell yes!”

…………………………..

Once they had eaten almost their entire weight in pancakes (or so it felt like), the pair made their way to the bridge just in time to hear Gideon say, “He went down just outside Moscow city limits.”

Rip turned at the sound of the doors sliding open and gave them a small smile. “Mr. Rory… and Mr Rory-Snart, how would you like to accompany me on a little mission?”

Mick and Lucas glanced at each other as Mick removed his heat gun from the thigh holster. “Will I get to use my gun?”

“A near-certain likelihood.”

Lucas glanced at his Papa to see whether the man would try and stop him.

When no request came, Lucas beamed and bounded over to Rip. “Lead the way, Captain.”

………………………………………………

Less than an hour later, Lucas was severely regretting his decision. The frozen ground made him slip and slide as he followed Rip and his Papa through the woods…. In the middle of the night… with creepy animal sound echoing around them.

As he slipped forwards, bracing himself on a tree and scraping his hands, Lucas groaned. “I hate nature.”

“Shh, shh, shh, shh!” interrupted Rip, twisting around to glare at the teen, “Thirty meters. Chronos must be hiding out in the trees.”

Quickly, Lucas pushed himself away from the tree, glancing upwards in alarm as he edged towards Rip and Mick…. Aka, those who were armed.

“Is that any way to treat an old friend?” 

The trio span around in the direction of the voice, with Mick powering up the Heat gun and aiming it at the strange man who’d suddenly appeared.

Before he could fire, Rip placed a hand on the gun and forced him to lower his aim, “Time Master Druce?! How on earth did you find me?”

“You haven't exactly been subtle.”

Mick scowled, “Can I waste this guy?”

“Could you give us a moment?” 

“You said I'd get to use my gun….”

Rip just stared at the pair until Mick grunted and gestured for his son to follow him, striding in the opposite direction.

“What a colourful team you've assembled for yourself.” They heard Druce sneer behind them as they hid behind some trees in order to listen to the conversation.

“I thought that you were- “

“- Chronos? He was killed in the crash, I'm afraid. I was sent to scuttle his time ship, lest it be discovered by the Soviets.”

“And you left a temporal anomaly.”

“To lure you out of the cold, as it were. You've turned your back on the very institution you were meant to serve. Our job is to protect time, thereby protecting all life.”

“I am trying to save the world from complete destruction.”

“You and your band of rogues have run rampant throughout history. This is why we work alone, Rip. A team is a liability you've proven that. They keep you from making the tough choices.”

Lucas scoffed at this, “Why do we keep getting called Rogues?”

Sshhing him, they turned their attention back to the other conversation.

“I am here because the council refused to make that tough choice.”

“Well, they can sometimes be slow to realize the obvious, but I've been authorized to… offer you a deal. End this foolish crusade return with me to the vanishing point. You'll be acquitted of all charges, and in a few hundred years, we may even be able to fix the damage you've caused.”

“And what about my team?”

“They will be returned to their own timelines unharmed, which is more than I can say for Carter Hall…You were one of my brightest pupils and by far my favourite. Will you at least consider my offer?

“I'll consult with my comrades.”

“Please do, Rip, and then meet me here in an hour.”

“And if I don't?”

“Then you're beyond my help.”

Silence indicated that Druce had left the area. When Rip made his way back over to the pair, Mick smirked at him. “That's a pretty sweet deal ‘Time Cop’ offered you back there.”

Rip rolled his eyes, “Well, I see we can add ‘eavesdropping’ to your criminal resume. Very impressive for your fifteen year old if you ask me.”

“We didn’t…” sighed Lucas, pushing himself up off the frozen ground, “But here’s some free advice from the professionals… you should start thinking more like a crook.”

Whilst Mick had scoffed at his son calling himself a professional, he nodded in agreement with the rest of the statement as Lucas continued, “Your friend's totally going to kill you.”

“Time Master Druce is one of my most trusted friends besides, if he wanted to do me any harm, why didn't he do it just now when he had the chance?!”

“Because…” Here, Mick got to his feet, “…he wants you to bring the whole team with you, and that's not gonna happen, because I'm taking a pass. You’re not getting my husband and son killed because of your stupidity.”

Without giving Rip a chance to reply, the pair pushed past him and headed back in the direction of the ship 

………… Meanwhile………….

“You enjoy the show, Raymond?”

“I think I've got frostbite in some not-so-fun places from waiting out here. Did she tell you what kind of weapon Savage is building?”

“Didn't come up. Such a romantic evening I didn't want to spoil the mood.”

“So, other a steamy good night kiss and a possible case of hypothermia, we've got nothing.”

“I wouldn't say that….” Leonard pulled out a card, “… It's Valentina's security badge for a place called Luskavic Labs. Whatever weapon she's building for Savage, we'll find it there.”

“I guess I should just be happy you didn't swipe her wallet.”

Smirking, Len pulled out a wallet. “Who do you think taught Lucky how to multi-task?”

………………………………………………………………………

As soon as they entered the ship, Lucas wasted no time telling everyone (minus Sara and Kendra, who were… fighting) about the deal that Rip was thinking about taking. Rip was pouring himself a small glass of whiskey, as Jax confronted him.

“So, uh, what happens? You hand over the ship and turn yourself in to the Time Masters, and the rest of us just- “

“- Will be returned to your former lives in January 2016.” Sighed Rip, “It will be as if you never left.”

“Aside from the fact that Starling City might be part of the U.S.S.R. thanks to our efforts.”

Lucas nodded in agreement with Stein as Rip shrugged:

“All the more reason to consider the offer. The Time Council will do everything within their power to correct the mistakes that we've made.”

“But they still haven't changed their mind about stopping Savage?!” asked Jax

“Well, according to them, he's part of the natural course of history, terrible as that course may be. Look, I'm not saying that this offer is without its downsides… If we abandon our plan now, then I still lose my wife and son.”

“So why throw in the towel? I thought you said this mission was bigger than any one of us?”

“Yes, but if you'll remember, when I first recruited you, I wasn't… entirely forthright about my motivations or about how… dangerous this mission would be.”

There was a solemn silence as everyone’s thoughts turned to the recent death in the team. Stein sighed, “Carter Hall knew the risks before he signed on.”

“Hmm…. Well, for the rest of you, it's now time to decide whether the future is worth fighting for.”

Jax and Stein seemed unsure about how to proceed, however, Lucas wasn’t. Stepping forwards, he shook his head. “We still say that Druce is going to kill you… maybe we should go with you as support? If something does happen, then we’ll be there to help. If not, then we make the decision.”

“And what are your views on what we’re doing?”

“… Savage is a dick. He aimed a gun at my head, hurt my Papa and hasn’t exactly helped my Dad. The sooner he’s dead, the better. And if this is the way to do it, then we need to continue.”

Everyone else nodded in agreement, causing Rip to give them a soft smile. “Okay…. What’s your plan Mr Rory-Snart?”

“Just follow mine and Papa’s lead.”

…………………………………………………………….

Hiding in amongst the trees, the team (minus Sara and Kendra) watched as Druce appeared from behind Rip.

“I cannot tell you how pleased I am to see you, Hunter.”

Rip sighed, “I finally came to my senses…. You were right, as always. I've risked the lives of my team I've endangered the very fabric of time itself. I only hope you can forgive me.”

“All will soon be made right again.”

The team tensed as Chronos suddenly appeared and aimed his gun at the back of Rip’s head. “Hello, old friend.”

“I'm so sorry it had to turn out this way…” sighed Druce, “… but the council cannot risk keeping you alive.”

“Such a shame.” Rip glanced up into the trees, “I won't be able to tell Mick and Lucas they were right.”

“Mick? Lucas?”

“My colourful friends, who were convinced you were planning on killing me.”

“Your friends seem to have abandoned you, but no matter… Chronos will track them down.”

“Can't believe you brought this stooge to do your dirty work. I never had you pegged as a coward, Druce.”

“… In that case, I promise to stay here to ensure that your punishment is carried out properly. I wouldn't want you to die alone.”

“Who says I'm alone?”

Taking the cue for what it was, Stein and Jax quickly merged and flew over and fired a fireball to the side, sending Chronos flying. From out of the bushes, Mick fired at Druce, who disappeared.

“What a wuss!” he growled.

From his position, Lucas noticed Chronos aiming his gun at his Papa. Racing up to him, he tackled the armoured man to the ground, throwing his aim off. 

Grabbing a hold of the gun, Lucas wrestled with the bounty hunter, kicking and kneeing where he could in attempt to disarm the other man. However, as the other man was stronger, Chronos to knock the teenager to the ground.

Before Lucas could recover, he found the business end of the gun pointed straight at his face…. But nothing happened. 

“Go home kid…” grunted the bounty hunter, lowering his gun, “… before you get hurt.”

Before Lucas could answer, Chronos began to fire at Firestorm, Mick and Rip, leaving Lucas on the ground.

“What?” Lucas muttered, “… I guess I really am Lucky.”

Suddenly, there was an explosion form nearby and Chronos came flying back, hitting a tree before falling the ground. Quickly, Lucas pushed himself to his feet and raced towards his Papa, who was yelling at the fallen bounty hunter.

“Run, punk! Run!”

“Jefferson!” Stein yelled, appearing from behind a tree, “Where is he? Chronos' blast forced us to separate. I-I didn't see where he landed!”

Rip glanced around, calling out for the 20-year-old. “Jax! Jefferson!”

“All right, no need to shout I'm right here.”

Everyone turned as Jax stumbled over to them, with Stein sighing in relief. “There you are, thank God you're okay! Why didn't you answer when I called you? Did it not occur to you that I'd be worried?”

Jax shook his head as he wobbled and shuffled closer, “Look, I just got a little- “

Without being able to finish his sentence, Jax suddenly collapsed, falling into Mick’s arms as the larger man rushed to catch him. Blood began to stain Jax’s white t-shirt over his mid-section, causing Rip to wince.

“We need to get him to the med bay now!”

Lifting Jax into his arms, Mick quickly followed Stein and Rip back to the Waverider. Lucas however, hung back, facing the direction where Chronos ran off to.

“Why didn’t you shoot me….” He whispered into the darkness, “…. You had the perfect opportunity. So why didn’t you?”

“Come on brat!”

Upon hearing his Papa’s yell, Lucas followed, ignoring how the moon seemed to reflect off something metal in the distance.

……………………………………………………………………..

“Dude! I can walk!” complained Jax as they entered the Waverider.

Mick rolled his eyes, “You and I both know you’ll make it about two steps before collapsing. All kids are the same… they just want to prove themselves.”

Twisting his head around to stare at Lucas, Jax rolled his eyes, “Is he this bad with you?”

“Worse. “Lucas gestured at the scar above his eyebrow and the one on his lip, “I was forever getting hurt. Just accept your fate.”

Upon entering the main control room (with Mick smirking at the sight of his husband in the suit), Ray frowned the group, “What happened to him?”

“Chronos.” Answered Rip.

Mick grinned, “Jax here was- “

“Almost got himself killed.” Interrupted Stein, who hadn’t said more than two words the entire trip back.

Ignoring the tone in Stein’s voice, and the scowl on Jax’s face, Rip helped the younger man to his feet, “We need to get you to the med bay.”

“Ah, the med bay, where a morphine drip awaits me.” Sighed Mick, rolling his shoulders as he and his husband and son left the others to it, “Landing on rocks has never been fun.”

“Are you both alright?” asked Len.

There was only silence from Lucas, so Mick was quick to chime in. “We’re fine. A bit of a scuffle with Chronos and that was it…” he paused, leaning in close to sniff at Len, “…. Why do you smell of perfume?”

“Raymond couldn’t seem to handle the task of seducing the scientist… so I took over.”

“… What did you do?”

“Calm down Mick…” Len drawled, “… it was nothing but a kiss. I’ve not cheated on you yet, and I don’t plan to start now.”

Pulling the younger man into a kiss, Mick smirked when he heard Lucas gag slightly.

“You guys are gross…” muttered their son, striding towards the kitchen, “… so gross!”

As Lucas disappeared around the corner, Len turned to Mick and frowned. “Is he okay?”

“He’s fine Lenny. Aside from the odd bruise and bump.”

“So, you never lost sight of him?”

“…. Only briefly.” Mick winced when Len span around and glared at him, “But there were no gun shots or anything! He’s fine!”

“What if he isn’t?!”

“Then he’ll be smart enough to do something about it, but seriously Len, he’s fine.”

There was a tense silence, before Len sighed and nodded. “Okay.”

“Good… now that that’s covered….” Mick leered at his husband, pushing him against the corridor wall, “… I need to appreciate you in that suit.”

“Here?”

“I really don’t have the patience to go to our room.”

“Well maybe we should- MMPH!”

Len quickly melted into the kiss, his hands gripping Mick’s shirt as the older man slid his leg in between Len’s.

“Ahem….”

The two sprang apart and groaned, when they saw Rip at the other end of the corridor. 

“Sorry to interrupt gentlemen, but I’m afraid I’m going to need Mister Snart’s expertise.”

“What is it now?”

Rip sighed, “Professor Stein has volunteered himself to investigate Luskavic Labs, but I’m afraid he may be being rather… impulsive. I’d like you and Mister Palmer to go in as backup.”

Mick frowned, “What about me?”

“I promise if things get too dangerous, I’ll send the rest of the team. At the moment, I’m hoping Stein will be able to handle things with you and Raymond s backup.”

Len and Mick glanced at each, communicating silently, before Len sighed and nodded. “Fine… give me time to get changed and I’ll be there.”

Giving Mick an apologetic pat, Len headed towards their room. Sulkily, Mick kicked at the corridor wall. “I never get a chance to… truly appreciate him sometimes.” He muttered, glaring at Rip.

………………………………………………………

“I just need someone to take the core offline, so I can remove it safely and shield it.”

Ray beamed as they entered the control room, “I'm all over it, Professor.”

CRACK

The guard dropped to the ground as Len glared at Ray, “We're all over it.”

“Remember, Dr.Palmer, that shutting down the core incorrectly can lead to the creation of -“

“- Strangeness, black holes, and uncontrolled fusion reactions that consume the universe? See? I was listening during class, Professor.”

As Ray sat down at the control table and began sliding dials and twisting knobs, Leonard kept his gun armed and ready. “How we doing, Boy Scout?”

“Uh, point of fact, I completed all 21 merit badges, including nuclear science, so I'm an Eagle Scout.”

Leonard just stared at him, not completely believing he was corrected on something like that.

“Uh-oh…” Ray glanced over at the platform opposite the control room, “…We got a problem. Valentina's headed toward the core containment unit. The radiation Stein's about to unleash I if she opens the door- “

“- We're here to stop Savage from building a nuclear-powered superhero.” Interrupted Leonard, “Saving some commie broad ain't on the agenda.”

“Even if the radiation doesn't kill her, Savage will, the second he finds out the lab's been sabotaged! Look, we gotta get her out of here!”

“Well, who's gonna shut down the core, Raymond? I skipped that merit badge.”

“Raymond, why is the thermal core still running at full power?” They heard Stein’s frantic voice over the communicator.

Ray sighed, “I'll handle the core. You handle Valentina.”

“You're willing to risk the mission for a woman you barely know?!”

“Be helpful to others.”

Len frowned, raising an eyebrow, prompting Ray to roll his eyes.

“It's the Scout motto. Didn’t Lucas ever- forget I said that.”

Groaning, Len pushed Ray back into the chair, “30 seconds. I'll get Vostok, you kill the power for Stein, and, Raymond…” he glared at the younger man, “… promise me.”

…………………………………………………………

Minutes later, Leonard felt a twinge of satisfaction when Valentina turned out to be working for Savage… this satisfaction was muted by having a gun aimed at his head and Raymond being an idiot, and turning the thermal core back on.

…………………………………………………………………

Meanwhile, Lucas was scoffing down a bagel in the kitchen, watching as his Papa grumbled and paced…. Something about a suit and bloody captains.

“Mister Rory …” greeted Gideon, “… Captain Hunter wishes to see you in the control room.”

Despite not being summoned himself, Lucas was quick to follow, entering the deck not long after Mick.

“There’s a problem….” Began Rip, “… I fear that Professor Stein, Mister Palmer and Mister Snart have walked into a trap. I need- “

“- Say no more Englishman.” Interrupted Mick, already turning to head out the door, “Luskavic Labs right?”

Before Rip could answer, the arsonist headed towards the exit, only pausing when he heard frantic footsteps behind him. “Oh no…” he exclaimed, spinning around and holding at a hand to stop Lucas in his tracks, “…. You’re not coming with me for this one. If it is a trap- “

“- Then Dad’s in trouble!” Lucas scowled, “Just because we’ve been… having creative discussions, doesn’t mean that I don’t care for him! He’s my Dad!”

“I know kid, but I don’t want to take the risk.”

“Tough…. I can either come with you and have you as sort of protection, or I’ll come in later all by myself!”

Silence.

“Do we have a deal Papa?”

“…. Fine.”

Smirking, Lucas gestured for Mick to continue. “Lead on Captain.”

……………………………………………………………….

Practically running towards the laboratory (and taking out anyone who got in their way), the pair raced into the building.

Almost immediately, they found some cover, peeking over the top of some boxes to see Stein being held at gunpoint.

“Professor Stein…” 

The pair glanced up at the familiar voice, with Mick growling at the sight of seeing his husband being held at gunpoint, 

“…. your comrade here tells me you know quite a bit about this project of mine. Very good. You and I have much to discuss.”

As the guards began to drag Stein away, leaving a metallic box behind, Lucas silently gestured at some steps that led up to the platform where Snart was.

Quickly, they headed up there as Valentina aimed her gun at Leonard, clearly preparing to shoot.

“What are you waiting for?” drawled Snart, “You forget how to use that thing?”

“My employer, Mr. Savage, would very much like to meet you and the rest of your friends.”

“Careful what you wish for.”

“I think that’s our cue…” chuckled Lucas as he and Mick ran forwards.

“This where the party's at?” Mick yelled, causing Valentine and Leonard to spin around. 

As Mick fired at Valentina (giving his husband enough time to dive for cover), Lucas took advantage of the distraction, and kicked the dropped cold gun in the direction of his Dad.

Guards from the opposite platform then began to fire, forcing the teen to take cover, the number of shots from the Russians only enabling him to fire off the occasional shot of his own. Suddenly, he saw his Papa fall back against the wall, grunting in pain when a bullet struck him in the shoulder.

“PAPA!” he screamed, as Mick ignored his injury and began knocking out any guards who got too close (having dropped his gun when he was shot). 

Towards the end of the platform, he could see his Dad moving towards them, until Mick growled at him “Get the hell out of here! What are you waiting for? Go, go!”

However, Leonard clearly wasn’t going to obey…. So, Lucas moved out of his hiding spot and shot two of the guards who were forcing his Papa to the ground.

“GO!” he screamed at his Dad, “We’ll be fine, just go!”

“I was meaning you go as well you brat!” “Lucky no!”

Lucas simply smirked at his parents, “Just think of me as your White Knight Papa… Dad go!” 

“Not without you!”

Using his last shot, Lucas fired at his dad’s feet, forcing him to take a step closer to the edge of the platform. “GO!”

Before he dived in to help his Papa, Lucas watched as his Dad, reluctantly, ran towards the end of the platform, leaping forwards and grabbing a chain that enabled him to shimmy to the ground.

“Alright you bastards!” Lucas yelled, striking a guard in the face, “Let’s play!”

……………………………………………………………………………………

‘Need reinforcements. Need reinforcements.’ Leonard though desperately to himself as he grabbed the metal box holding the thermal core, before diving towards cover.

“Now might be a good time to send in reinforcements!” he yelled into his communicator, firing up his cold gun in preparation to continue fighting, “Mick, Lucky and Stein just got pinched by the Russkies!”

“You're gonna have to get out of there right now.”

“They're hanging us out to dry, Rip I need backup!”

“I'm afraid our only option is retreat.”

Firing at some oncoming guards, Len resisted the urge to curse. “What about my family?!”

“Well, until we devise our next move, your partner and son will have to fend for themselves.”

“My son is fucking fifteen! They’ll kill him!”

“Remember the mission… If the Soviets get that thermal core back, your son will not be the only one who dies.”

He didn’t want to…. God knows he didn’t want to…. But Len knew that he had to get out of there. Not glancing back (for he didn’t know if he’d be able to leave if he did), Len raced towards the exit, sparks flying all around him.

…………………………………………………..

Wincing as the guards tightened their grip on his arms, Lucas dragged his feet along the crowd, frowning when he saw Ray taken past them on a stretcher.

“Pretty, pretty, pretty…” muttered a voice in front, causing Lucas to glance up.

Standing in front of him was the clear leader of the guards…. Fur hat and all. The man smirked at the sight of the teen being dragged towards him.

“…. You will be popular.”

As he was dragged closer, Lucas took the opportunity to spit in the man’s face, grinning even as he grabbed the front of Lucas’s jacket, pulling him closer.

“Maybe I’ll have the first go….” Hissed the man, “…. Wipe that smirk off your face.”

Before Lucas could retort, he was pushed away and the guards forced him into the back of a truck

Having seen and heard all this from behind his son, Mick struggled furiously against the guards holding him, “You better kill me now….” He growled, “…If I ever get my hands on you, I'm gonna get all "Rocky IV" on your ass.”

Without saying a word, the Head guard smirked and slammed Mick’s head against the side of the van. Trying to blink away the oncoming sensation of unconsciousness, Mick sneered. “I'm gonna remember that, comrade.”

As his Papa was shoved into the back, Lucas frowned. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine… I should be asking you.”

Lucas shrugged, “I’ve been better.”

“We’ll get out of this kid…. Len will get us out of this.”

“Hmmm, would this make it the fourth or fifth prison break?”

“It’s closer to ten by now.”

Smiling at each other, the pair winced when they saw Stein getting shoved in with them.

“Oh, this isn’t good.”

………………………………………………….

“Ugh, thank God you managed to grab it.” Gasped Rip as he ran into his office, panting for breath as he turned his attention to Snart, who was seated in his chair, feet up on the desk with his gun in hand.

“Where was my backup, Captain? Half the team is gone…” He fired up his gun and aimed it at the Captain, “… Because of you.”

“If I'd have sent the other half in to save them, they'd be captured too, and where would we be, hmm?! Savage would have both halves of Firestorm, a dead Kendra on top of a dead Carter, everything he wants! It would be the end to our little crusade, and, most likely, the world. So, before you… pull that trigger, ask yourself… what would you have done?”

There was a tense silence for a couple of seconds, before Leonard shook his head, “That is a pretty cold calculation, Rip. Almost criminal…” He powered down the gun, “… except we criminals have a code ‘You never leave one of your own behind’. You let my fifteen-year-old son be captured and now he and my husband are in the hands of the Russians!”

“We will get them back…. Now, if Savage even hopes to create a Firestorm, first, he's going to need a new one of these.” 

………………………………………

“A thermal core?” exclaimed Kendra in confusion as Sara shook her head in dismay,

“Let me get this straight….” She began, frowning at Rip “… You had Kendra and I training for the next mission, when we should have been out there helping them?!”

“We will help them, and our next mission is to get our compatriots back from Vostok.”

Choosing not to look over at Len, Kendra sighed. “Who is to say they're not already dead?”

“Vostok needs the professor alive in order to rebuild the thermal core.”

There was silence for a few seconds, before Jax asked the question that everyone was thinking. “And Ray, Rory and Lucas?”

“Savage will keep them alive too.”

“As leverage.” Sara sighed, “He'll torture them if Stein tries to hold out, and sorry Snart, but he won’t exclude your kid for that. Stein won’t hold out against that.”

“Well, we'll have to pray that he does. If Savage's goal is to create his own Firestorm, then Stein himself is the key, the missing piece of the puzzle. And if Vostok figures out how to turn Stein's powers against us… then I'm afraid the world is beyond saving.”

Jax shook his head, “Stein's a lot tougher than he looks. I mean, it will take a lot to break him.”

“That's the good news…. The bad news is that our compatriots are being held in an impenetrable Soviet gulag.”

If he weren’t already sitting down, Len felt like he would’ve fainted at that. “So…” he drawled, trying not to fall into a panic gun, “… my fifteen-year-old is trapped in a prison, with murders, paedophiles and the worst of the worst. Is that what you’re saying Rip?”

“…. Yes. But we will get them back. I promise.”


	24. Fail Safe AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)
> 
> //Indicates that they’re speaking Russian\\\
> 
> Gif set based on this chapter: http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/post/141043192102/coldwave-au-after-the-events-of-1x05-lucas-is

Kendra frowned when she saw lying on one of the chairs in the Med Bay. “Jax? What are you doing in here?” She strode over and placed a gentle hand on the younger man’s shoulder, “Hey, are you all right?”

Blinking wearily, Jax rubbed his eyes and nodded, “Yeah, I, uh I haven't been able to sleep the past two nights.”

“I prescribed Mr. Jackson some mild medication.” Stated Gideon, as Jax rolled his eyes.

“Which don't seem to be doing a damn thing.”

“What's wrong?” asked Kendra in concern.

“Ah, it's Stein. They started in on him again. He's scared to death. I-I can feel it… He's trying to be strong, but – “

“- We're gonna get him back. Ray, Lucas and Rory too. I'm sure Captain Hunter has a plan.”

“It's my fault he got captured…” sighed Jax wearily, “…If-if he wasn't trying to protect me, he would have never gone in there alone!”

“It's gonna be okay, Jax…” Kendra tried to reassure him, “… I promise.”

“You don't know what kind of place they got him locked up in…”

…………………………………………………………………………….

“Labour Camp Number 54…” began Gideon as the rest of the team met in the main control room, “… Formerly known as the Koshmar or "Nightmare" gulag. Built in the 18th century- “

“-Can we skip past the Wikipedia crap and get to the good stuff, like how to break in?” drawled Len, who was looking quite withdrawn and pale, and had been since hearing where his son and husband were being kept.

Silence.

Sara frowned, “Perhaps you didn't register that as a question, Gideon?”

“I understood, but in its 200 years of operation, no one has successfully escaped from- “

“- No offense, Gideon…” Leonard interrupted again, “… but I’ve never met a building I couldn't break into.”

Rip sighed, “Well, I hope you're right. Savage knows that Stein created Firestorm, but if he finds out that he is Firestorm- “

“Always Savage with you, isn't it?” Len couldn’t help but sneer at their ‘captain’, “My husband and son are in prison too!”

“And Ray.” Sara interjected.

“Yeah, whatever. The point is you didn't lift a finger!”

“You know damn well it was never my intention to get them thrown into a gulag!” yelled Rip, “But I had no other option. Besides, I doubt that it's Mr. Rory's and your son’s first time in prison or second or, I imagine, tenth!”

“My son has never been caught! And now he’s been thrown in with the worst of the worst!”

Sara rolled her eyes, “All right, arguing is not gonna bring the team back any faster.” She ignored how Len had to visibly take a deep breath, calming himself down, “And Rip's right. Criminals usually do feel more at home in prison, and they know it better than anyone else.”

“So?”

“So, what if the key to breaking in is asking someone who's been in and out of Soviet prisons their whole life?”

“And who might that be?” Rip also seemed confused as to where Sara was going with this

“Are you familiar with the Bratva?”

Now this caught Len’s attention, prompting him to lean on the control table next to Sara, “Ooh, the Russian Mob? In 1986, they would have ruled the criminal underground inside every prison.”

Rip nodded in agreement, before smirking at Leonard, “Maybe we can find your son’s friend?”

“Doubtful… and he’s no friend of my son.”

“Friend?” Sara asked, “What friend?”

Waving his hand, Len shook it off. “Lucas learnt Russian from an old Russian who runs a diner in Central City. Apparently, he was running from the Russian mob in Star City… I think it’s just a fanciful tale intended to draw my son in. He always did have an overactive imagination.”

“If you say so….”

………………………………………………

“Don’t you think you’ll be a little warm in that?” asked Sara, frowning as Len strode up, dressed in a large, white dressing gown.

Len didn’t answer, silently following Rip into the main steam room where they would be able to meet up with members of the mob. Watching him go, Sara sighed wearily.

They needed to get Mick and Lucas back… and soon.

In the sauna, Len positioned himself at the back as Rip went to the front. They didn’t have to wait very long before a large man entered the room. 

As the man strode over, Rip spoke up. “Your tattoo. It stands for ‘Menia Ispravit Rasstrel’ if I'm not mistaken. In English, it translates to, ‘Execution Will Reform Me’.”

“What brings you to the banya, little man?”

Len couldn’t help but smirk at that. With his lower half only wrapped in a towel, Rip looked like a rake compared to the mobster.

“The name's Rip. I understand that you're familiar with the Koshmar Gulag.”

From the back, Len interjected. “We need to break into that prison… And can you make it fast? I despise the heat.”

“A man by the name of Vandal Savage runs a secret operation out of it A prison within a prison, if you will.”

The mobster nodded, “I've heard of this Savage. He has no respect for my country's rich criminal traditions.”

“So, you'll help us?” asked Len.

“You men have no tattoos. And a man who has no life story cannot be trusted. Igor! Andrei!”

Nothing…. Except the sounds of pain

Rip glanced over at the door to the changing room, “Igor and Andrei seem to be a bit preoccupied. Now, about that gulag”

“No matter….” Grunted the mobster cracking his neck, “In this life, a man fights for himself.”

In slight alarm, Rip glanced back at Len. “Perhaps you'd like this one.”

“He's all yours” To be honest, Len was still slightly pissed off (okay, really pissed off) that Rip had let his son and husband be captured and thrown in prison…. This would be his revenge.

With a deafening bellow, the mobster ran at Rip, tackling him off the bench. As the two fought… or rather, as the mobster struck out at Rip again and again, several people began to leave. Smirking, Len shut the door behind them, before turning his attention back to the fight.

“So, you like having Vandal Savage run his evil empire from your country?”

Two more punches to the stomach and face.

“As much as a pig enjoys being Christmas dinner.” Snarled the mobster, striking Rip across the face, splitting his lip. After another few punches, Rip eventually fell back against the bench and held his hands up in surrender.

“Help us, and we will destroy his entire operation!”

Desperately, Rip kicked the mobster back…. Who barely flinched at the hit. Before the fight could start out again, there was a rapping on the door, prompting Len to twist around and glance at Sara through the door window.

After he let her in, she rolled her eyes at the sight of Rip. “I just took out six men. You guys couldn't handle one?” she scolded

“… You killed my men?”

“They're not dead yet. And neither are you, assuming you help us.”

The mobster snarled, but backed down when Sara rose her eyebrow. “My organization runs black market goods into Koshmar.”

Nodding in understanding, “Four of our, uh, well, comrades are being held there by Savage.”

“Koshmar is not a hotel for petty criminals. If your friends are there, they must be insane, ruthless animals.”

……………………………….

“Hey…. Howdy…. How you doing?”

Lucas and Mick both stared at Ray in shock and confusion.

“What the hell are you doing?” growled Mick as the trio were led through the gulag corridor, passing the cells of other prisoners. Murderers. Rapists. Paedophiles. The worst of the worst.

Ray shrugged, “Just being friendly….” He gave Lucas a reassuring smile, “This must be where they keep the VIPs eh kid?” 

Whilst Lucas knew that Ray was trying to help, trying to make him feel better, he couldn’t help but flinch slightly when one of the prisoners tried to grab his prison coat through the bars.

“This is prison, jackass.” Grunted Mick, glaring at the man trying to grab his son, “There are no VIPs.”

“Some of these guys have been here for a while. Hey, maybe this guy knows where Stein is?”

//Less Talk! \\\ yelled one of the guards, pushing Ray forwards, //Move faster!\\\

“The only thing you should be worrying about, Pretty, is lasting the night.”

When Mick gave his son a significant look, Lucas knew that this was directed at him as well.

Survive.

“Stein needs help. He's in real trouble!”

“Newsflash, so are we.” 

As Mick and Ray were pushed into the cell, with Ray making another joke (“Think they'll bring us blankets later?”), Lucas found himself pulled in a different direction.

“Wait, wait, wait!” he cried out, pulling against the guard’s grip as Mick and Ray’s cell door slammed shut… without him in it, “WAIT!”

“LUCKY!” yelled Mick, rushing to the cell door and reaching through the bars, “WHERE ARE YOU TAKING HIM?! LUCKY!”

Despite his struggles and the sheer anger coming from his Papa, Lucas was unable to prevent himself being dragged down the corridor, away from the safety of Ray and Mick…. Mostly Mick.

About ten more cell doors passed, before the guards opened a cell and pushed the teen inside. Upon seeing that there was another person in the cell, Lucas kept his back to the bars. The young man who was imprisoned with him stared at him.

Dark hair combined with dark eyes, the man appeared to be in his early to mid-twenties. Wearing a ratty grey t-shirt, the top half of the prison overalls tied around his waist. 

As the man continued to stare at him, barely moving a muscle, Lucas found himself getting annoyed. //Don’t come anywhere near me…\\\ he warned, //… or I swear I’ll rip off any part of you that touches me! \\\

The young man was clearly startled at this, but smirked, holding his hands up in surrender. //I wasn’t going to touch you…. Honest. I was thinking that you are very young to be in here.\\\

Stepping slightly away from the bars, Lucas raised an eyebrow. // I offended the wrong person…. What about you? \\\

//Homosexuality.\\\

Almost immediately, Lucas pressed himself against the bars again, causing the young man to shake his head. //No, no, no! Not for kids though! Not for kids! \\\

//… Good. \\\

Moving further into the cell, Lucas frowned at the ratty mattresses on the beds. 

//You can have the top bunk… \\\ the young man stated, //… if it’ll make you feel better? \\\

//Thank you… I’m Lucas. \\\

The young man held his hand out and shook Lucas’s hand, //Ivan. Ivan Kuznetsov \\\

Lucas froze…. It couldn’t be.

****Flashback to a year earlier****

“Lucas? Lucas?”

Lucas glanced up from his grilled cheese sandwich and rose an eyebrow at the diner owner, Ivan Kuznetsov. “Yeah…. You okay?”

“I feel like I should be asking you zat…” frowned Ivan, “… you look deep in thought.”

Wincing slightly, Lucas shrugged. “Papa’s having…. A bad day. Another one.”

“He is missing your Dad?”

“Yeah… he loves him, but without him, he’s falling apart.”

Ivan shrugged, “Love can do funny things like zat.”

Frowning at Ivan’s tone of voice, Lucas tilted his head. “… Who was she?”

“… He. And he was my world.”

Lucas waited for Ivan to continue in silence.

“He…” Ivan sighed and shook his head, “… he was a good friend, and he was everything to me.”

“…. What happened to him?”

Turning his attention to the diner window, Ivan remained silent for a couple of minutes before sighing sadly. “He had to go.”

Before Lucas could say anything more, Ivan headed towards the kitchen, waving his hand when Lucas tried to speak up. “I’m sorry, I do not want to speak about zis anymore.”

“But- “

“Please Lucky… no more.”

………End Flashback……………….

Quickly scanning the young man up and down, Lucas swore quietly under his breath, glancing out of the cell.

This…. This was going to be a problem.

…………………………………………………………………………..

“Now, according to Yuri….” Began Rip, bending over the console, “… this is where his men have access. Got it?”

Len simply smirked at him, “This isn't my first prison break”

Nodding in agreement, Sara reassured Rip (who was looking slightly concerned at the coldness in Len’s tone) “We got it covered.” 

Kendra and Jax entered the room, and Kendra made her way over. “So how can we help?”

“By staying on the ship….” Answered Rip, “… We don't need any more casualties. Besides, Mr. Snart and Sara have got it covered.”

Jax frowned at this, “Whoa, man. Why does it feel like we're on the JV team all of a sudden?”

“What you are is one half of everything Savage needs to change the face of the Cold War.” Rip scolded, before turning to Kendra, “And you are the only person who can kill him.”

“Yeah, so you can't just- “

“- I am not going to gift wrap the two people in the world that Savage wants the most!”

“We should get going.” Stated Len, silently agreeing with Rip, but refusing to agree with the bastard.

As he and Sara headed out of the main room, Rip stopped Sara in her tracks, “Oh, Ms. Lance, could I borrow you for a moment? I have something that might help you out with the mission.”

As Sara followed Rip into his office, Len made his way to his and Mick’s shared room…. However, he paused when he reached Lucas’s room. Pressing the button, and opening the door, Len found himself entering.

It was a typical teenager room…. Messy.

Clothes were strewn all over the floor and the bed was unmade. Shoving the clothes to one side with his foot, Len walked over to his son’s bed and practically collapsed onto it. Reaching over, he pulled a framed picture off the desk and smiled at what he saw.

Lucas was about fourteen in the picture, head turned towards Mick in a scowl as his Papa ruffled his hair. Len was standing on his other side, face caught mid-laugh as his son’s hair was messed out of it’s personal style. 

Len couldn’t help but feel that it had been too long since he’d seen his son smile or laugh. With all the arguing and fighting that had been going on, he felt like Lucas’s expression around him had been limited to scowls or sarcastic smirks.

Silently, he placed the photo back on the bedside table and headed towards the cargo bay. Upon entering, he saw Sara gathering up the weapons that she was going to take.

“Impressive how many weapons you can fit in that outfit...” he drawled, smoothly catching a small box that was thrown at him. Glancing at it, he rolled his eyes at the sight of the miniature Atom suit, “…And how much stupidity Raymond can squeeze into this one.”

“The plan is to save him too, not just Stein, your partner and your son.”

Len resisted the urge to scoff at this, walking over to stand by Sara, “Oh, I'm gonna save Raymond, all right, so I can beat some sense into him…. “Scanning Sara from head to toe, Len instantly noticed some tension in her… Rip must have asked her to do something in the gulag, “… And what about you?”

“What about me?”

“Clearly I'm not the only one with a side mission. What did Rip keep you after class to talk about?”

Sara sighed, clearly not wanting to talk about it. “He just wanted to go over a few details of the plan.”

Len had lived with a teenager for a few years now, and Lucas was a master liar. An assassin was no challenge against him.

“He wants you to take out the old man, doesn't he?”

Sara tensed slightly, as Len continued;

“It's the obvious play…. It's also heartless.”

Spinning around to face Len, Sara frowned. “The plan is to save Stein. And if, for whatever reason, we can't, Rip showed me what will happen to my home in 2016, to our families. If Stein breaks, the damage is irreversible!”

“Been on a lot of heists, and even when things got rough, I never took out one of my own.” Technically, this wasn’t true, but Len wasn’t going to say that.

“Well, this isn't a bank heist.”

“First, he left my partner and my son, my fifteen-year-old son, twisting in the wind. Now he's gonna have you ice old silver-top… We're all just pawns, Sara. Come on, I'm the crook, you're the assassin”

“He's not just asking me to kill. He's asking me to save the future. And if, for whatever reason, we can't save Stein, then I'm gonna do what needs to be done!”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

//Lucas… Lucas!\\\

Startled awake, Lucas shot up into a seated position, eyes wide in alarm as Ivan stepped back.

//Breakfast time.\\\

As he slowly realised where he was, Lucas found himself groaning as he clambered down from the top bunk. “I really hoped this was a dream….” He muttered under his breath, waving his hand in dismissal as Ivan frowned at him in confusion.

Wrapping the top half of the prison uniform around his waist, Lucas followed Ivan out of the cell, snarling at any other prisoners who came close. In a line, with guards monitoring their every mood, the prisoners filed out in the courtyard. As soon as they entered the large courtyard, Lucas pushed himself onto his tiptoes in an attempt to find his Papa…. Oh, and Ray.

//Who are you looking for?\\\ asked Ivan, sticking close to the teenager as others began to crowd around them, //We have to queue over there by the way.\\\

//My Papa… he should be around here.\\\

Before he could react, Lucas heard a growling from his immediate right. Spinning around, he saw his Papa stride towards them, his eyes fixed on Ivan as the Russian shuffled closer in alarm.

//Who is that?!\\\

//My Papa…. Move away and let me do the talking.\\\

As Mick tried to leap at Ivan, Lucas stood in front of him to protect his cellmate. “Papa stop! Papa stop, he didn’t do anything!”

Mick stopped in his tracks, but continued to glare at Ivan, “How do I know that he isn’t just making you say that. I know what his sort are like, I’ve spent half my life with scum like this!”

“Do you honestly think I would let anyone force me into saying something that I didn’t want to? Dad has trouble with that, let alone some stranger that I only met last night!”

“… True.” Mick continued to glare at Ivan, scanning him from head to toe as Ivan instinctively straightened up. Seemingly satisfied with what he saw, Mick just grunted and turned away, “… Haircut’s in the slop queue, saving a place for us.”

“Cool.”

Following his Papa (and having Ivan follow him), the trio found Ray and stood next to him, with Mick growling at anyone who dared to comment. Upon reaching the front of the queue and seeing what exactly was in the large pots, Lucas resisted the urge to puke.

Ray, as usual, was trying to put a positive spin on the situation. “Huh. It's just like scout camp… Man, the food was terrible. There was one time they gave us Salisbury steak- “

“- You ever stop talking?” grunted Mick, as they were given a piece of bread and some funny coloured beans.

The whole group sneered at the slop on their plates, with Ray, once again trying to make light of the situation. “What I wouldn't give for a little Salisbury steak now.”

As they strode through the courtyard, Mick, Lucas and Ivan all frowned in confusion and annoyance as Ray kept trying to make friends

“Hey. Ray Palmer.” He greeted an elderly man, holding out his hand for the Russian to shake.

Mick groaned at the sight, “Put your hand down.”

Not seeming to understand why Mick was getting annoyed at him, Ray frowned. “He might know where Vostok is keeping the Professor.”

“Shut up and eat!” hisses Lucas, glancing around as he saw that several, very large prisoners, had taken notice of the interaction.

Ray however, ignored him, turning his attention back to the elderly man. “Do you know if there's any other place where they keep prisoners here? We're looking for a friend.”

The old man glanced around, before nodding his head slightly. “There is a place. They send you there, you never come back…. You can hear the screams all night.”

“This place, where is it?”

Before the old man could answer, another, much larger prisoner strode up to them and sneered. “Who said you could eat?” he asked, mockery in his voice as he wrenched the plate away from the old man.

Growing pale, the old man was quick to back away, leaving Ray to face the large Russian alone.

“Hey, he's not hurting anybody!”

“Who is this American with the pretty teeth?” The large man glanced at his minions, “Must be a comedian, da?”

//He’s dead…\\\ muttered Ivan, //… Dobrynin Yakovich has a nasty temper.\\\

Lucas frowned, //How nasty?\\\

//He’s in prison for mass murder\\\

//Fuck.\\\

“I'm sure we can handle this like adults.” Ray stated, desperation in his voice.

Dobrynin clearly didn’t agree, punching Ray in the face.

“Oh, this is just great…” muttered Lucas, pickpocketing a lighter out of a man’s pockets and handing it over to his Papa, moving over to where the fight was happening.

Mick, without taking his eyes off the flame threw out a hand to hold Lucas back. “Leave him… this is how prison works.”

As Ray punched Dobrynin in the face, the larger man tackled him to the ground and began to beat Ray to a pulp… until the scientist fell unconscious.

As the fight came to an end, the guards began to usher everyone back to their cells, with a couple staying behind to keep an eye on Ray.

//Well, that was fun.\\\ muttered Lucas, glancing back to try and see if Ray was breathing, “Papa, why didn’t you help?”

“Haircut had it coming”

“But- “

Before he could finish, Mick was pushed into his cell and Lucas and Ivan were pushed down the corridor, and into their own cell.

//Has anyone survived a beating from that… ogre?\\\ asked Lucas.

//Only the strong ones.\\\

//… He’s doomed.\\\

………………………………………………..

Later on that night, as Mick remained transfixed by the flame of the lighter, Ray was pushed into the cell… and immediately went on the attack.

“Hey, Pyro, what was that there back in the yard?”

“Just your typical prison alpha. He didn't like you threatening his reputation.”

“Not that. I mean you sitting there while I was getting my ass kicked!”

“None of my business.”

Ray shook his head in disbelief, “None of your business? None of your business? We're supposed to be a team!”

“The only team I'm on is mine, Snart's and the kids’. Besides, you had that beatdown coming.”

“Oh, well, I can't sit back and watch an old man get pushed around.”

“Then you're a bigger fool than I thought.”

Before Ray could reply, there were footsteps coming down the corridor, as the Head Guard stopped outside. “These are the ones I want.” He ordered the guards with him, opening the cell and stepping inside, smirking at the scowl on Mick’s face, “…Remember me?”

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Meanwhile, a van pulled up to the security gates of the gulag. A guard walked over to the driver’s side window.

“Identification papers.”

Silently, and without taking his eyes off the prison in front of him, the driver handed the guard a wad of money. “Yuri the Bear sent me.”

Suffice to say, the guard let them past, and as the van drove by the gates that surrounded the prison courtyard, two figures jumped out the back. One was dressed a tight, black costume and the other in a Russian guard uniform.

“Remember...” began Sara, “…. we get Stein first”

Len nodded, “And if the plan fails, you'll kill him… you want my advice?”

“No.”

“Don't use your gun. Do it with your hands. Do it while you're looking right into Stein's eyes.”

“You're talking about a member of our team” Sara hissed in frustration.

“I just don't want you to forget who we're talking about.” 

Without waiting for an answer, he rushed over the gates and together, they let themselves into the courtyard.

………………………………..

Vandal Savage cursed under his breath when he realised that the Professor wasn’t going to talk. The Russians had tortured the thief he had caught last time, and the mouthy one, and yet there was only silence.

To be honest, it was very impressive.

The mouthy one had already received a beating in the last few hours, so he really wasn’t doing well. 

Very well. If the Professor wouldn’t react to a fellow scientist or another teammate being tortured, then they would need to try something a little more drastic. Beckoning a couple of guard’s forwards, Savage gestured towards the cell block. “Go get the other one…” he whispered, making sure that he wasn’t heard by any of the prisoners, “… and try not to hurt him too much.”

The guards nodded, heading towards the cells as the young scientist desperately tried to catch his breath. This chance that one or two of his ribs were cracked, or even broken, was extremely high, but the young man didn’t seem concerned.

“Is that all you’ve got?” he groaned, trying to shift himself into a new position in order to alleviate the uncomfortable pressure in his chest. “Because I can do this all day.”

“Shut up Haircut…” grunted Mick, “… before I finish you off myself.”

Smirking at the Professor’s eye roll as the chained pair bickered, Savage listened carefully for the return of the guards.

It was the yelling that everyone heard first.

“GET YOUR FUCKCING HANDS OFF ME! I SWEAR TO ALL THAT IS HOLY, I WILL RIP YOUR ARMS OFF AND BEAT YOU WITH THE WET END! LET ME GO!”

Mick growled when he saw his son being dragged into the room, his skin probably already bruising under the grip of the guards. “Get your fucking hands off him!”

“Yeah!” agreed Ray, his struggles increasing despite the pain, “He’s just a kid, you can’t do this!”

As Lucas was chained up in a similar manner to Mick and Ray, Savage shook his head in mock sadness. “To hurt a child is to forget the basic goodness in one’s self…” he stated sadly, “…I want you to know Professor, that you forced me to do this. Hurting children is not what I want to do.”

Before Stein could answer, Savage fisted his hand and punched Lucas straight in the stomach, sending the air rushing from the teen’s lungs.

“LUCKY!” roared Mick, yanking at the chains holding him back, “DON’T TOUCH HIM!”

Savage just ignored him, his eyes still focused on the gasping teen. “You are more exotic than I remember…” he muttered, stepping closer, “… such bright eyes to go with that tanned skin.”

“Piss off!” Lucas gasped, spitting at the megalomaniac in an attempt to force him away.

It didn’t deter Savage, only making him chuckle. “Now, now, now…” he sighed, “… there’s no need to be rude.”

“You haven’t seen me be rude yet!”

Savage chose not to say anything, striking Lucas in the stomach again… and again… and again… and again.

Hanging limply in his chains, Lucas desperately tried to catch his breath, swearing furiously when his ribs ached in pain. 

“You’re a cruller man than I thought possible Professor…” announced Savage as he grabbed Lucas by the hair and wrenched his head up, bringing his fist back, “… you can stop this you know. Just tell us what we want to know.”

Stein remained silent as Savage’s face twisted in fury.

“Fine… but remember this Professor. You are responsible for what happens next.”

Before Stein could react, Savage struck Lucas in the face, splitting the teen’s lip. Another punch busted the teen’s nose, sending blood gushing down his face, dripping onto his prison overalls. 

Another to the ribs.

Another to the face, bruising his cheek and eye.

Still silence from the Professor, despite Mick’s protests and threats aimed at Savage.

“I wonder…” sighed Savage, “… what will you tell his other parent? Will you admit that you just sat there and let him die?”

Stein opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Savage struck again… this time, he hit Lucas in the throat.

“LUCKY!” Mick cried out, as his son desperately gasped and wheezed, trying to suck in as much air as he possibly could. “LUCKY!”

“Enough!” Stein finally yelled, “You're killing him! I'll tell you how to stabilize Firestorm. Just let him live, please! He’s just a child!”

Smirking in triumph, Savage finally moved away from the gasping teen. “Take them back to their cells…” he ordered the head guard, “… Once the stabilization process is complete, then we’ll send medical care to those who need it.”

He glanced over at Stein, “As extra leverage, you understand. No Firestorm, and your friends will not make it.”

Struggling ferociously against the grip of the guards, Mick tried to get back to his son, who had fallen unconscious a short while ago.

“Lucky… LUCKY!” 

……………………………

“So how does it feel to be dead again?”

“Take the next left.”

Knowing that Sara was probably rolling her eyes underneath the cover, Len couldn’t help but smirk. The smirk soon fell from his face when he turned the corner and saw several guards struggling with a familiar face.

As Mick struggled, swearing furiously, he suddenly caught sight of his husband. The pair locked eyes, with Len silently promising that he would get him out. Mick seemed to understand this, however, only guilt and an unspoken apology reflected in his own eyes.

Worrying, Len realised that he hadn’t seen his son yet.

“You can't be down here, comrade.”

Tearing his attention away from his partner, Len smirked at the guard blocking his path. “I was ordered to take this corpse to the incinerator.”

The guard was clearly not convinced by this explanation, hand moving to the sheet to pull it away from the body.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you.” Interrupted Len, quickly thinking on the spot, “Dr. Vostok used him for one of her smallpox weapons trials… Highly contagious.”

This clearly caught the guards’ attention, as he stopped in his tracks and quickly back away, allowing Len to move forwards, whilst keeping his distance from the ‘highly contagious body’. Mick continued to stare at him, until he was punched in the gut and dragged away.

His thoughts still on the bizarre behaviour of his partner, Len barely noticed Sara slipping out from under the blanket when they turned the corner.

“All right, this duct should take us to solitary. We get to Stein- “

“- Yeah, I'm not going.” Interrupted Len, taking his hat off.

“That's the plan.” 

“That's Rip's plan. My priorities are Mick and Lucky.” Len pulled a big bag out from under the gurney.

“Fine. Forget it…” snarled Sara in anger, storming away, “… So much for your code, crook.”

“Anytime, assassin!”

………………………………………….

Lucas yelped in pain as he was tossed into the cell, not even having the strength to push himself up off the ground.

//Lucas? Lucas! \\\ yelled Ivan, who practically dove to the ground. //Lucas, what happened? \\\

//Bastard beat the crap out of me…\\\ Lucas mumbled weakly as Ivan turned him over to his back, // Everything fucking hurts… \\\

//Who beat the crap out of you? Who? \\\

Lucas just groaned in pain, crying out as Ivan helped him onto the bottom bunk. Before he could answer the question, the blackness started to creep in and he passed out.

…………………………………………………………………………..

“I'm sorry to inform you, Captain….” Began Gideon, “… The probability of the United States losing the Cold War has risen to 99%. Star City, the seat of the resistance, is predicted to fall in 2003.”

Rip growled to himself, staring at the holographic image “Come on, Sara.”

“I have eyes on Stein.” Sara stated over the communicator.

“The future is cementing. You must extract Stein before he enters the lab!”

There were the sounds of gunfire over the communicator, causing Rip to startle slightly, taking a step back. “What's happening, Ms. Lance?”

There was a tense silence, before Sara audibly sighed. “I couldn't rescue Stein.”

“Have they moved him into the lab?”

“Yeah, where Savage has every guard in the gulag watching him”

Rip nodded in determination, “Well, if that's the case- “

“- I know what I have to do.”

As Sara went silent, Rip moved to his office and pulled up some blueprints of the gulag “Gideon, are you able to detect the Professor's life functions remotely?”

“Yes, Captain. His pulse is still strong.”

“Yeah, not for much longer.”

“Rip…” his thought process was interrupted when Kendra and Jax entered the room, “… Jax and I need to talk to you.”

“Now is really not a good time.”

“Yeah…” Jax rolled his eyes, “… this will only take a minute. I know you think you can't risk losing us, but that's assuming we'd fail. 

“And we won't….” Kendra seemed determined, “… I'm not afraid anymore. I can do this.”

“And I don't got to be Firestorm to be a part of this team.”

“Look…” Rip span around in annoyance, “… I am not prepared to risk anyone else. Ever since-“

“- Carter?” interrupted Kendra, “His death wasn't your fault.”

“I know… But Stein's will be.”

Jax shrugged, “All I got to do is touch him, and we can fly out of there!”

“Yeah, once you've scaled a 50 foot fence topped with razor wire, gotten past eight sharpshooters, and entered a gulag full of the most dangerous criminals in the U.S.S.R.”

“Okay, so you create a distraction…” Stated Kendra, as though it was simple, “… and I'll fly Jax in, and no one will see us.”

“Listen you're playing chess without all your pieces on the board!”

There was silence, before Rip sighed, “Maybe you're right.”

“…So that's a ‘yes’?”

………………………………………………….

Len passed through the rest of the gulag easily, moving past cell after cell without even a hint of suspicion. As he glanced into each and every cell, he eventually came across the cell he wanted. Standing by the window, staring at the tiny flame produced by a lighter, was Mick.

“You call that a flame?” drawled Len, a smirk on his face as Mick turned to face him.

Mick’s eyes lit up with excitement at the sight of him, flicking the light off. “Ah. Nice costume.”

“Got one for you too.” As he entered the cell, Len walked over to Ray, who was barely conscious. “Wakey, wakey…” he muttered, gently tapping Ray on the cheek as the man blinked weakly at him, “… Time to shrink…or not.”

Popping the box which contained Ray’s suit into the man’s overall pocket, Len turned back to Mick, who was getting changed into the uniform “Let's go and find Lucky.”

Mick nodded in agreement, but Len was surprised when his partner strode over to Ray and lifted him into a fireman’s hold.

“What are you doing?” Len asked in alarm.

Mick just grunted as he headed towards the cell door. “We can't ditch him. He won't survive.”

Before he could leave, Len grabbed his arm and kept him from leaving. “Two guards walking out of here not suspicious. Two guards carrying him out…suspicious!”

“He took a beating for me and he tried to take the beating for Lucky!”

“Raymond would take a beating for a total stran- Wait… Lucky got beaten?”

Mick rolled his eyes, as he turned back to face Len. “You wanna have this conversation now? Or do you want to grab Lucky and go?”

Without replying, Len pushed past his partner and headed out into the corridor, quickly hurrying in the gestured direction.

As he got further down the corridor, he could hear a familiar voice yelp in pain.

//Not so tight! I still need to breathe! \\\

Putting on a final burst of speed, Len quickly reached the cell his son was in, and quickly opened the door, grabbing the unfamiliar man and tugging him away from his son.

“Woah!” Lucky exclaimed, trying to push himself to his feet, only to fall back in pain, “What the hell?!”

Without releasing his grip on the other man, Len twisted around to look at his son, smiling softly as the teen brightened at the sight of him. When Mick entered the cell, he gently placed Ray on the bed next to his son, before going over to Lucky.

“You look like shit…” he muttered, chuckled as Lucky laughed… and then winced in pain.

“I feel like shit… Dad, it’s okay. Ivan was just binding up my ribs.”

It took a few seconds, but eventually, Len stepped back to let the other man go free and headed over to his son. “This…. Complicates things.” He muttered under his breath, a frown on his face as he scanned his eyes over the bruises and dried blood, “I brought you a uniform, but with all these injuries, there’s going to be questions.”

“So, have Ivan wear the spare.”

Ivan, who didn’t really understand what Lucas was saying, glanced between all three of them, frowning as the man who had pinned him against the wall began to shake his head. “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation again. Three guards can’t walk out with two injured prisoners!”

“We can’t leave Haircut.” “I’m not leaving Ivan.”

“Mick, if our time in the can taught us anything, it's we look after each other. This family sticks together, right?”

Lucky rolled his eyes slightly, wincing at the pain in his head. “You could say that you three are escorting me and Ray to the infirmary or something. That would get us, ray and Ivan out.”

Len thought to himself for a few moments, before throwing his hand up into the air. “Fine! God forbid I leave an idiot, who has his super suit by the way, and a convicted criminal behind!”

Wisely choosing not to mention that Ivan wasn’t the only convicted criminal in that cell, Lucas and Mick crossed their arms and waited for Len to offer the spare uniform to Ivan.

“Fine…” Len sighed after a few minutes, “… but we need to go. Now!”

Ivan quickly got changed, helping Lucas to his feet before Lucky’s parents could even think about helping their son. With Ray being supported by Mick, the small group slowly made their way out of the cell and into the corridor.

“I can’t believe we’re risking our lives for this….” Hissed Len.

“Dad. Shut up and walk.”

Halfway down the corridor, there was a sharp buzzing sound as the alarms began to blare and lights flickered off and on…. And the cells doors slowly opened. 

“Electromagnetic locks…” Lucas gasped, clutching at his chest as the pain increased, “… and you guys are dressed as guards.”

“Run!” Len ordered, frowning when he saw Ivan shift all of Lucas’s weight into his arms, barely even pausing as the convict picked up speed in an attempt to get out of the cell-block before the prisoners got to him.

At the end of the corridor, the Head guard burst through a door and shot at the ceiling. “Everyone back in your cells!”

Mick seemed visibly pleased to see the man, smirking as they got closer… until finally, he was able to shoulder the man into a cell, shutting the door behind him. “Enjoy your new cellmate!” he chuckled, remembering the creep’s words to his son.

“No!” screamed the guard as the prisoner in the cell with him, grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back.

As they left the cell block, Len gestured to his left. “That door leads to the loading bay. From there, you can get to the jump ship.”

“You can put me down you know…” grumbled Lucas, pushing at Ivan’s chest, “… it’s my chest that’s broken, not my legs.”

Ivan just grunted, not appearing to have heard the teen as Ray stirred weakly on Mick’s shoulders.

“Hey, Mick, this is a strange kind of hug.”

As Len moved away from the rest of the family, he was soon stopped by a hand on his arm.

“Where are you going?!” Mick asked in alarm.

“I got something to do.”

Mick shook his head, “But what about- “

“- just get to the Waverider. The more we argue about this, the worse Ray and Lucky will get.”

Although Mick clearly wanted to argue, he simply grunted and headed towards the loading bay, leaving Leonard to do what he needed.

Listening over the communicator, it seemed as though Stein had been found out as being the other half of Firestorm, which meant that his life was in imminent danger…. From Sara.

“Do you copy? I have the shot.”

Leonard quickly intervened, before the trigger could be pulled, “Sara, don't do it.”

“I don't have a choice. It's the only way to save Star City, the future.”

“… That's how a killer thinks. And that's not you anymore.”

There was silence over the communicator, before Sara audibly sighed… there was no gunshot…. Only silence.

……………………………………

Everything seemed to devolve after that.

Stein merged with the crazy, Russian lady…. Prisoners were running about, causing havoc…. Rip was God knows where.

But at least Lucky was safe.

Keeping the prisoners at bay with his cold gun, Len watched as Jax kept trying to get close to Stein and the psycho, flaming bitch, hoping to encourage Stein to fight back and forcibly separate from his newest partner.

Miraculously, he managed it, with Stein pulling himself away and falling to the ground.

“Jefferson!” exclaimed Stein, “You okay?”

“Yeah, you?”

“Yeah.”

In alarm, Len saw the flames around Vostok turn blue as the young lady collapsed to her knees, screaming in pain and fear. “Not for long.”

“I tried to warn her…” Stein sighed in sympathy, “Without the Splicer and myself, her nuclear powers are dangerously unstable. It appears Dr. Vostok is having a bit of a meltdown… It's-it's fascinating!”

“I think what he means to say is RUN!”

“ I'll have the jump ship waiting just beyond the main gate.” Exclaimed Rip over the communicator, touching down in the specified location and opening the doors as the rest of the team hurried inside. Pulling away and rising into the air, the Jump ship managed to get away from the gulag just as Vostok exploded.

………………………………………..

“Fucking hell…” muttered Lucas as he was canned in the med-bay, “… tell me you have some morphine Gideon. Or something stronger…. I don’t mind!”

“Not to worry Mister Snart-Rory. I will have the majority of your injuries fixed momentarily, however, I’m afraid that due to our recent landing, I can only fix the cracked bones, not the bruises. Should I continue?”

“Please.” He winced, trying not to breath too deeply.

As Gideon fixed him up as well as she could, the door opened and Len strode in.

“How are you feeling?” he asked his son, wincing in sympathy as Lucas made the so-so gesture., “That bad?”

“Gideon read out the list to me…. It wasn’t pretty.”

“Indeed. Mister Rory-Snart has- “

“- he doesn’t need to hear all that Gideon.”

Noticing that his son, wasn’t looking at him, Len decided to step closer. “I-Is everything else all right? You and Ivan seem very-“

“- Nothing happened Dad.” Lucas sighed, rolling his eyes (despite his headache), “It was all completely innocent… he’s just…. He just a really nice guy.”

Len didn’t seem satisfied with the decision, “You don’t find ‘nice guys’ in prison. He must have wanted something?!”

“No, he didn’t!” As the light from the ceiling switched off and the more serious aches disappeared, Lucas pushed himself off the chair, “Not that it’s really any of your business.”

“Where are you going?”

“I asked Rip to travel to another part of Russia, far away from the gulag in the same year…. I’m not letting Ivan get arrested, not when he helped me.”

Before Len could answer, his son limped away.

……………………………………………………………………………..

//Here…\\\

Ivan frowned as a battered and bruised Lucas handed him a thick envelope. //What is this? \\\

// Enough to have a fresh start… look inside.\\\

Following the order, Ivan’s eyes widened in shock and amazement when he saw all the diamonds gathered at the bottom of the envelope. //W-what- How? \\\

//Well I didn’t have any Russian money…. None that would work anyway, so I figured this would be okay? \\\

// How did you- \\\

//Don’t worry about it… and don’t go trading them in all at once. It draws suspicion. Just a bit at a time alright? \\\

Still in shock, Ivan nodded slowly, keeping his eye on Lucas as the teen began to step backwards. 

//W-where are you going? \\\ Ivan asked, //Will I ever see you again? \\\

Lucas grinned at this, nodding his head as he continued to move away. //Of course you will…. It just won’t be for a while.\\\

//How do you know? \\\

//Ivan… \\\ Lucas paused, an unknown look flashing across his face, //… trust me. I will come back.\\\

Before Ivan could say anything else, Lucas turned away and head in the opposite direction, soon disappearing into the trees.

Disheartened, Ivan clutched the envelope tightly, keeping his eyes on Lucas as the teen faded from view.

…………………………..

As the Waverider took off once again, everyone gathered in Rip’s office, with Ray and Lucas resting on the sofa. As everyone chatted to one another, all quietly celebrating their victory over Savage, Len held up a bottle of vodka and smirked. “Courtesy of Yuri the Bear.”

“How did you even have time to steal this?” asked Sara, smirking slightly, although trying to hide it.

“There's always time to steal.”

Mick poured Ray a small shot of the strong alcohol, and handed it to the injured man. 

“Thank you…” sighed Ray, wincing in pain, “… And just so you know, I know you're more than just a thief. You and your son.”

Mick just grunted, “You took a beating for me. We're even. End of story.”

“Well, thank you.”

“More drinking, less feeling.”

Before Mick could move away, Lucas held out his hand and pouted. “Where’s my drink?”

“You’re fifteen, remember?”

“I got beat up, surely that entitles me to at least one drink? Jax gets one!

“He’s closer to twenty-one than you and not with the painkillers you’re on.”

Mick smirked as his son tried to blink away the fogginess in his mind, trying to appear as though he wasn’t seconds away from sleep. “Just juice for you brat.”

“Party pooper.”

As everyone gathered around in the office, Stein held up a small glass and beamed. A toast to the first time we haven't completely ruined the time line.”

“Please tell me that's true, Gideon.” Begged Rip

“The projections of the future are back to normal.” Stated Gideon, causing everyone to sigh in relief

Kendra grinned, “I'll drink to that.”

Lucas and Len smirked at each other, “ To Rip… To things not going according to his plan.” Drawled Lucas, gesturing at his bruised face.

The rest of the team ignored him, as Stein continued with the toast. “To the Captain.”

“To the Captain.”

Smirking at Lucas, Jax raised his glass. “All right…”

“Hold on, Jefferson. You're not quite 21.”

“Yo…”

Lucas laughed at this, wincing as his ribs ached with the pressure… until Sara interrupted.

“In 1986, the drinking age in Russia was 12, so…”

 

“Well, perhaps we can let it slide this one time.” Sighed Stein.

Lucas nodded eagerly, “For everyone right? Pour me a glass Pops!”

“Not with your painkillers!”

“I’ll risk it!”

Rolling his eyes, Stein continued speaking to Jax. “After all, you were the hero today. You saved my life.”

“Oh, that? That was no biggie.”

“Having merged with an insane Russian scientist, I now know how lucky I am to have you as my partner.”

Jax smiled at this, clinking his glass to Stein’s. “Partners.”

In the main control room, next to the office, Sara turned to Rip. “Stein doesn't know, does he? That I almost killed him?”

“That I advised you to kill him.”

“… It's funny. When I was in the League of Assassins, failure to follow through on a hit was unforgivable, a thousand times worse than death. Maybe I'm losing my edge.”

“Or gaining a new one…. The fact that you didn't pull the trigger speaks volumes. You know, the safe move was to kill Martin with the Cold War hanging in the balance. I would like to think it was your humanity that stayed your hand.”

“I'd like to think that too, but I had some help.” Sara twisted around to glanced at Len who was focused on his son. 

“Maybe you should go to bed.” They heard the criminal drawl, a concerned tone in his voice.

“I’m fine. Quit worrying. Guy hits like a wuss… I only got a few cracked ribs.”

Mick shook his head at this, “Listen to your Dad kid. This time was too close for comfort.”

“I’m alive Papa, that’s what matters.”

“Savage beat the crap out of you in order to make Stein talk…” Mick sighed and sat next to his son, “… You almost died. And the last time you came that close, me and your Dad didn’t take it too well. We can’t go through that again.”

Lucas frowned at the uncharacteristic softness in his Papa’s face. “I’m sorry… I’ll bear that in mind.”

Raising his glass, Len smiled. “That’s all we ask Lucky.”

Suddenly, the Waverider was hit by an unknown force, sending everyone crashing to the ground.

“AH, THAT HURT!” yelped Lucas, hissing in pain as all his aches and pain intensified under the force of hitting the floor.

As Sara braced herself against the control panel, she swore furiously under her breath, before glancing around. “What was that?!”

“We have been struck with an explosive projectile.” Droned Gideon, the only one who was remaining calm during the incident.

“No kidding!”

Rushing over to the Captain’s seat, Rip began to bark out orders. “Everyone get strapped in now!” He frowned in confusion, “We're in the Temporal Zone. I don't understand. No one should be able to- “

Another hit, caused the Waverider to rock violently from side to side.

Len, who was helping his son to his seat, scowled in anger and frustration. “You were saying?”

“A scan of the vessel suggests that it is the bounty hunter Chronos.”

“Oh, man, this guy has impeccable timing!” yelled Jax, as Lucas nodded in agreement.

“Yeah! And I’m really starting to hate him for it!”

“He appears to be following us.”

“Firing countermeasures.”

There were the sounds of explosions behind them.

“Countermeasures effective.”

“Have we lost him?”

“Yes, but not his missile. Our aft shield is gravely compromised”

His fingers moving over the chair side-panel, Rip was clearly trying not to panic. “Initiating evasive manoeuvres.”

As the shaking grew more violent, Ray began to turn slightly pale. “Ah! The vodka was a bad choice.”

“Trust me…” muttered Lucas, who was also turning pale, “… it isn’t the vodka.”

“Impact in three… two… one.”

The ship shuddered violently, rocking from side to side.

“Sir, we've just been knocked out of the timestream.”

“What does that mean?” asked Kendra in alarm.

Rip frowned, “It means we're crash-landing in place and time.”

Spinning around and around and around, the Waverider eventually struck the ground with a loud crash, making everyone thankful for the seat harnesses (although for those with rib and chest injuries, it was less pleasant).

As the group made their way outside, with Lucas being partially supported by his Dad, Rip shook his head at the sight.

“Gideon, camouflage the ship…” he ordered scanning their surroundings. There were small fires everywhere and the streets were lined with rubble. There didn’t appear to be one building intact, “… This doesn't look like the type of place we want to linger out in the open.”

As everyone tried to figure out when and where they were, Lucas saw Ray frowning out of the corner of his eye.

“That looks a lot like a Palmer Tech building…” Ray sounded confused, “…but why does it have a Smoak logo on it?”

“Wait!” Sara exclaimed, “This is Star City…I thought you said the time line was safe.”

Rip checked the device on his wrist, “Yeah, Star City was intact in 2016. This… this is 2046.”

Before anyone could say anything else, a hooded figure, carrying a bow leapt onto a nearby car and aimed an arrow at them. “Don't move!”

Everyone went on the defensive at this… except Sara. She seemed relieved. “Oh, thank God!”

“I said don't move!”

Stopping in her tracks, Sara frowned in confusion. “It's me… It's Sara.”

Ray stepped forwards. “Hey, Oliver, look, I-I know it's been a long time, but don't you remember that Rip Hunter recruited us to become legends?”

As Lucas and Len smirked at each other at the slip-up, the hooded figure stepped into the light to reveal a young man…. Much younger than Oliver Queen (who they suspected was the referenced Oliver) 

“I never heard of any legends.”


	25. 2046 AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)
> 
> Gif set based on this chapter: http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/search/coldwave/page/3

“I never heard of any Legends.”

Before any of the team could react, the hooded figure fired an explosive arrow over their heads, causing a barrel to explode behind them.

As Mick fired a blast of fire at the man, the rest of the team ran (or limped in Ray and Lucas’s case) for cover. 

“Get back!” ordered Rip (not that he really had to tell them).

Ducking behind some concrete as the hooded man continued to fire at them, Mick glared at Sara, “This guy a friend of yours?! I don't like him!”

“Yeah!” agreed Lucas, “You really need new friends!”

As Len, Rip and Mick fired back at the man, Sara immediately began to protest. “What are you doing?”

“It's called shooting back.”

That can't be the Green Arrow….” Kendra exclaimed in shock, as Sara nodded in agreement.

“That's not Oliver Queen.”

“Sure dresses like him!” Ray stated.

Making sure that his son was safe, Len growled in frustration. “Shoots arrows like him!”

“Well, whoever he is, I don't plan on sticking around to get shish kebabbed by this dude!” yelled Jax

“Jax's right!” Lucas yelled, wincing as his chest ached, “Let's stay behind and kill him”

“We need to return to the ship!” ordered Rip, spurring everyone else into action as Len went to support his son, and Mick went to support Ray.

Still ducking, they all raced back to the Waverider.

……………………………………………………………………………………….

“All right, Rip….” Demanded Sara, as they entered the Waverider, “… Tell us the truth.”

Rip sighed, “You've all seen how the timeline is malleable in flux until it is set. Well, this future is not set!”

As exposed wires crackled and sparked (causing Mick and Lucas to flinch slightly), everyone frowned in confusion.

“Remember when I told you it was dangerous for any of you to know too much about your own futures? Well, the events that you dread could very well come to be due to your actions to prevent them.”

“You know what I think?” Mick grunted, “I think you think too much.”

“Believe me when I tell you that the best thing for yourselves and for this mission is to make the repairs to the Waverider here in 2046 then head back to your own time and make sure that none of this ever comes to be!”

Sensing that Rip was being deadly serious, no-one argued.

Almost silently, the group dispersed, with some choosing to try and fix the ship, some going to eat (Mick) and others to try and rest (Lucas).

……………………………………………………………………………………..

Less than an hour later, Lucas groaned as there was a gentle patting on his face.

“Come on…” whispered Len, helping his son to his feet, “… Rip has a job for us.”

“You’re actually gonna take me along?”

“You’d only come anyway… but you’re only on look-out okay?”

Lucas found that he was too tired to answer, and simply nodded. Just keeping a look-out, aka, sitting down seemed fair to him. 

As they made their way into the cargo bay, they found Mick holding a metallic object up to the light. “It's not money. It's not jewels. It's not a valuable artefact…. You're just lucky I'll steal anything right about now.”

Rip rolled his eyes slightly, “As I suspected.”

“We'll get your gizmo….” Interrupted Len, pulling on his gloves, “…You just get this bucket flying again.”

“I'm coming with.”

Everyone turned to look at Sara, with Rip frowning at her as she grabbed her weapons.

“No, no you are not!” Rip scolded, “You're too emotionally connected to the city…. We've been over this!”

Spinning around, Sara glared at the man, “I'm over you! You got us on a mission to change the timeline for yourself. And you won't even let us look at our futures? Now, I know this city better than anyone else, and you're gonna need me out there.”

She stepped closer, “So, either I'm coming with, or we can find out if the Time Masters are as good at teaching people to fight as the League of Assassins.”

Lucas chuckled at this, “If Time Masters are anything like the Time Lords, then I doubt it…. He’ll be good at running though!”

“Doctor Who wasn’t too bad at fighting…” chuckled Len, “… I’m sure some of the earlier reincarnations could- “

“- oh, shut up you nerds.” Groaned Mick. “Let’s just go.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

As the team strode through the streets, Mick turned to Rip. “This is just a potential future. It doesn't matter if we kill anyone here, right?”

“Priorities Papa…” Lucas chuckled.

“Well, to avoid the risk of a paradox, it's probably best to refrain from…. killing anyone.”

Mick turned to frown at Rip, before shrugging, “I'm not gonna promise anything.”

As they continued down the street, Sara glanced around. “My sister's apartment used to be over here.”

“I seem to remember something about your father being a police captain.” Len stated, a smug smirk on his face.

“Your point?”

“… Did one hell of a job.”

Lucas twisted around to stare at him, “Ouch Dad… ouch.”

“My father and everyone else would never have let this happen… unless they were all dead.”

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group as they continued to stride through the streets.

“Palmer Tech's just two blocks up this way….” Stated Sara, “…Or at least it used to be.”

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion to the right, causing the group to duck and flinch away.

“Take cover in there!” yelled Rip, gesturing towards an abandoned school bus as thugs on motorbikes shot into the area, whooping and beating up anyone who got in their way.

As they clambered into the school bus, Len shook his head in disbelief, “It's like World War III out there!”

“Yeah, It's beautiful!”

Lucas rolled his eyes at his Papa’s viewpoint, but chose not to say anything in favour of resting on a seat, the sudden rush having caused pain to flare up again.

As gunfire echoed throughout the streets, people fighting and arrows striking flesh, Rip shook his head in despair. “We need to find another route.”

Minutes later, Sara gasped as the archer was shot off the top of a bus, racing out of their hideout and ignoring Rip’s protests.

“Ms. Lance, don't. Sara! Damn it!” He turned to the criminal trio and scowled, “You three don't move! We'll be right back.”

“Right!”

Literally seconds after Rip left the bus, Mick grinned at Len. “We're not gonna sit here, right? Imagine all the looting we can do in this chaos!”

Lucas nodded in agreement, causing Len to smirk. “Why don't we stretch our legs at that bank we passed three blocks back?”

Quickly, the trio made their way out of the bus and headed up the streets, taking in all the chaos that surrounded them. Before they could get much further, men and women riding large quad bikes began to circle them, eventually coming to a stop as a young man leapt in front of them, aiming a gun at them.

“Drop your weapons, and hand over your wallets!” he ordered, a manic smirk on his face.

The trio glanced at each other in amusement, with Len shaking his head. “Wait, are you actually trying to mug us?”

“What is this, amateur hour?” chuckled Mick.

A large man, dressed in a large fur coat with a girl practically hanging off his arm, strode up to them. “If you don't do what my man says, we're gonna crush you into the pavement like a couple of ants.”

“Really?” Mick started to laugh, nudging his partner in the side as Len chuckled as well.

“What do you say we teach these fellas a lesson?”

“Yeah!”

The leader stepped forwards, allowing his minion to remove his coat for him.

“That’s what I want in life…” sighed Lucas, a smirk on his face, “… a lackey to remove my coat for me, so I don’t have to make the effort.”

Len smirked at his son, “A boy can always dream hmmmm?”

“One day Dad, one day.”

The leader was clearly not impressed with the lack of fear, and before any of the trio could react, he punched Len across the face.

Whilst Len didn’t react to the punch, Mick growled, held back by Lucas’s hand on his arm.

“That's what you get when you don't follow directions.” Snarled the leader, clearly thinking he now had the upper hand.

“Interesting….” Mick handed his gun to Lucas, “…. Hold this.”

He then struck the leader in the face…. The man barely flinched. 

“Second thoughts.” Grabbing the gun back off Lucas, Mick aimed the gun at the chuckling leader and fired, setting the man ablaze.

As the leader screamed in pain, dropping to the ground as his flesh burned, the minions all took a step back, staring at Mick in shock and awe. “Where did you get that?” the man gasped.

“…eBay.” Mick smirked at the fear in the man’s eyes, reaching over and grabbing the fur coat, “Now, your boss will not be needing this.”

Len and Lucas raised their eyebrows as Mick put the coat on, spinning around and beaming at his partner and son. “Well…” drawled Len, rolling his eyes as Mick preened, “… this has been fun, but I think it's time to leave.”

Mick seemed shocked at this, “Leave? Why would we leave?” He clambered onto the leader’s quad-bike, and gestured at Len, “Come on, sweetheart…. It’s just like the old days.”

Begrudgingly, Len strode over, climbing up behind Mick as Lucas commandeered his own quad bike (ignoring how one minion was left without a ride… and how his Dad frowned at the sight of him driving anything)

“Let’s go boys!” yelled Mick revving the engine as he followed some of the other minions, grinning as Len tightened his grip around him. 

……………………………………………………………………

This was hell and heaven all at the same time.

The club music was loud and obnoxious, making Lucas’s aching headed pound with the beat. His Papa was prancing about on top of a table, acting like he’d been crowned King of England or made President.

“Hey, you… I'm terrible with names!” yelled Mick, gesturing at one of the minions with a beer bottle, “I'm gonna call you Fonzie!”

The crowd cheered as Mick gestured at another minion. “I'm gonna call you Kenickie!”

“YEAH!”

“Anyone else here need a name?”

As Mick riled up the crowd, Lucas walked over to the bar and grinned at the punk woman standing opposite. “Bartender. Give me a whiskey dry!”

“Don’t give him anything alcoholic!” ordered Len, who was sitting nearby (and looking very bored).

“You are no fun.”

Len smirked at this, before glancing over at Mick. “I take it you like it here too?”

Shuffling closer so that he could be heard over Mick cheering and the loud music, Luas grinned. “You’ve gotta admit, it’s kind of fun… and Papa’s definitely having fun.”

“I can see that… but would you want to stay here though?”

“Forever!” Lucas shook his head, “Fuck no!”

“No?”

Lucas nodded, glancing at the mini riot that was happening, “This is kinda fun…. But where’s the thrill of a heist? This will get boring soon, and Papa will realise that eventually.”

“Hmmmm, hopefully sooner rather than later.” Before Lucas could reply, Len got to his feet and strode over to Mick’s ‘stage’ as the man whooped in glee.

“Your Highness…” Len drawled, “… can I get a moment of your time, please?”

“Sure. “Mick beamed at this, clearly thinking that Len was going to take him to a back room so that they could have some fun…. Their actual destination of the bar wasn’t too bad either.

“Ah, isn't the future great?!” the arsonist whooped, gesturing at the bartender to pour him another drink.

Rolling his eyes, Len sighed. “We really should be getting back to Rip and Sara.”

“Why?”

“’Cause I'm not looking to put down roots here.”

Mick frowned, “Why not? It's everything we've ever wanted! I got a gang that does everything I tell them to…” He flicked the collar of the coat, “… I got a fur coat….” He grabbed a cup full of ale, “…I got a chalice!”

Smirking at how Len groaned at this, Mick took a step closer, wrapped his arm around Len’s waist and pulled him to his chest. “Now… why don’t we go and have a little fun?”

Len leant back, sneering slightly in disgust as he smelt the alcohol on Mick’s breath. “What about stopping Savage?”

“What about it?” Mick released Len and took a step back, scowling at his partner, “You're the one who said we're in this for the score, remember? We could live like kings here. No cops, no heroes just some fool in a green hoodie…. It's Christmas every day!”

As Mick walked away from Len, purposely leering at some scantily clad females in an attempt to make Len jealous…. It wasn’t working… much.

As those two glared at each other, Lucas leant against the bar, glaring at the bartender who’d jut given him a glass of coke.

“Well look at you!”

In alarm, Lucas turned his attention to his right to see a young lady dressed in extremely tight clothing (like, needed oil to put it on tight). She was a pretty girl, probably around 18, with dark brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes… she was absolutely caked in make-up.

“Hello.” He grunted, hoping to put her off before he offended her.

“So….” She sidled closer, “… You’re the boss’s son?”

Ah…. She was one of those.

“Look…” sighed Lucas, placing his glass on the bar and using his foot to keep the girl at bay as she tried to get even closer, “… I ain’t the way to get to the top.”

“… Huh?”

Lucas smirked, “You think that if you can sleep with me, the boss’s son, then you’ll have some kind of power… sorry, but you’re not my type.”

“Honey, I’m everyone’s type.”

“Not mine. I prefer them with less make-up… and boobs, less boobs”

The girl sneered at him, “Oh… you’re one of those.”

Before Lucas could say anything, she stormed away, causing to sigh wearily. “2046 and homophobia still exists… great.”

………………………………………………..

Hours seemed to have gone by, and the music was getting louder. Out of the corner of his eye, Lucas noticed that his Dad looked like he was going to commit a mass homicide… and soon.

Suddenly, as he downed another glass of coke, the door to the makeshift club slammed open and there was the sound of glass shattering under the force of wooden bats as a gang of people strode in.

“Who invited them?” grunted Mick as the music quickly came to a stop

One of the minions winced at the annoyed tone in Mick’s voice, “Word on the street is Deathstroke is pissed about something.”

“Deathstroke… what kind of name's that?”

Pushing through the new group of thugs, was a young man, a scowl on his face. “Party's over. Everyone hit the streets. Hit everybody on them. I want Green Arrow dead by morning!” the man yelled.

Mick clearly didn’t appreciate this, standing to his feet and striding up to the newcomer, “Listen, pal, this is my gang. The only orders they take are from me.”

“Hmm….” The man (who Lucas now assumed to be Deathstroke) sneered at Mick, obviously not impressed, “…might be your gang, but it's my city.” 

Lucas couldn’t help but smirk at this…. Way to ruin Papa’s plans

Without waiting for an answer, Deathstroke addressed the crowd again. “Green Arrow is running with a female assassin in white and a Brit in a brown coat. Kill them all!”

Before leaving, Deathstroke smirked at Mick and pushed a finger against his chest in a silent ‘I’m more powerful than you’ gesture.

Seconds after the Deathstroke gang left, Mick’s newly acquired minions were quick to follow.

“You heard the man. Let's go!”

As everyone started to rush out of the door, Len and Lucas strode over to Mick, both smirking at the slight pout on the older man’s face.

“Looks like your new minions are about to go on a citywide manhunt for Rip and Sara.” Drawled Len.

“So, what?”

“They're gonna kill our friends!”

“Since when did they become our friends?”

Lucas laughed at this, “You tell us… You and Raymond seemed to get pretty tight back in Russia.”

“I've never been tight with anyone.”

Knowing that his dad would be slightly hurt by this (to be honest, he was slightly hurt as well), Lucas was unsurprised when Len tensed up and strode towards the exit. “Mick, it's time to go.”

This is where everything changed.

Instead of agreeing (albeit grumpily) and following Len, Mick wrenched his gun out of the holster and aimed it at Len. “You're not the boss of me!”

And of course, Len retaliated, pulling out his own gun. “Actually, I am!”

Lucas frantically glanced between one to the other, pressing back against the bar and mentally hoping that he wouldn’t have to take sides…. He hated taking sides.

Eventually, Len disengaged the gun and rested it against his shoulder. “Okay, let's both take a deep breath….” He inhaled and then relaxed “… And we'll make ourselves a deal. You help me get to Rip and Sara…. Once they're safe, we can have this conversation. Fair?”

There was a brief pause, before Mick reluctantly followed.

This was not going to end well.

……………………………………………………………..

Knowing that Rip and Sara would most likely be searching for the technological do-hickey at the SMOAK building and the warehouses nearby, the trio hotwired a car and a motorbike in order to make the journey across the burning city.

It was tense.

Len had taken the motorbike whilst Mick drove the quad-bike, with Lucas as a passenger…. And it was tense.

Nobody spoke to one another… what was there to talk about?

Eventually, the trio heard the sounds of fighting from a nearby warehouse and drove in through the open door. Rip, Sara and Baby Green Arrow were fighting against Deathstroke’s men, with Rip sighing in relief when the criminal trio turned up.

“Gentlemen, your timing is exemplary!”

As Mick went to go fight, Len rushed over to the quad-bike and pointed at Lucas. “Stay there! You’re still healing!”

“Can I at least shoot at them?”

“…. Fine, whatever!”

The fight was over it less than a minute, but something was wrong.

“Where's Connor?” exclaimed Sara in concern.

Bending down, as Lucas joined the group, Rip picked an abandoned bow off the ground and sighed. “He's been taken.”

Sara went pale at this, kneeling down and examining the unconscious body of a nearby enemy. “These are Grant Wilson's men.”

“Hmm. The guy with the half face and the body armour has a real mad-on for the kid in the hoodie.” Grunted Mick just as Rip tossed the bow to the ground and turned to Sara. 

“Can I have a word?”

When they moved over to the other side of the warehouse, to avoid being heard, Mick turned to Len. “Now that we rescued them, let's have that chat.”

Len sighed, “You want to stay here.”

“Thought I made that pretty clear. What I'm less clear on is… why you two don't.”

Lucas winced at the slightly betrayed look Mick shot him, deciding to remain silent as his parents tried to resolve things.

“… A city of thieves and criminals!”

Len winced, “Sounds like a lot of competition.”

“Then we wipe them out. What I did to that other guy, we do the same thing to this Grant Wilson and anyone else stupid enough to get in our way!”

Turning his back on Leonard, Mick took a deep breath. “Take a look around, Lucky. We're living the dream.”

“Yeah… Speaking of which- “

As Mick turned around to face his husband, Len struck him across the face with the cold gun, knocking him out immediately.

“Sleep tight, buddy.”

Less than a minute later, Rip and Sara appeared.

“What happened to him?”

Len turned away, choosing to remain silent as Lucas tried to look innocent, “They had a… difference of opinion.”

“Riiiiiight….” Rip was clearly unconvinced, but brushed it of as a ‘criminal thing’, holding up a metal case, “… We need to get this and Mr. Rory back to the Waverider.”

As Rip and Sara moved over to the vehicles, Lucas span around to face Len, anger clear on his face. “What the hell were you thinking?!” he hissed, “Do you really think that’s helped matters?!”

“He wasn’t going to listen to reason.”

“You don’t know that!”

“I know how he gets! Better than you do!”

“Then you know how he’s going to react when he wakes up!”

Len tensed at this, his face briefly falling out of the neutral expression before he turned away. “He’ll understand… he always does.”

Before Lucas could answer, Rip hurried back over. 

“I’ll help you get Mister Rory back on the quad-bike Mister Snart….” He stated, barely noticing the tension between the pair, “… we need to get back to the Waverider immediately.”

“I’m taking the motorbike.” Grunted Lucas, ignoring how his Dad protested, “Let’s hope he doesn’t wake up and decide to snap your neck.”

As he slowly climbed on, Sara strode over and smiled at him. “I’ll join you if you don’t mind?”

“Whatever.”

“…. I thought you’d be more…. Agreeable.”

“…. Actually, I’m not sure your ego can fit on this bike. There might be a weight issue.”

Sensing that Lucas didn’t want to talk, Sara chose not to rise to the bait and climbed on behind Lucas. “Wait... are you old enough to drive this?”

“Nope. Hold on.”

“What do you- AH!”

………………………………………………………….

As soon as they got back to the Waverider, Mick was placed in the brig, and the group made their way to the deck.

“Oh, they're back!” exclaimed Stein, “Where's Mr. Rory?”

“Sleeping it off.” Smirked Len as he strode out of the room, closely followed by a still-furious Lucas.

“I can’t believe you knocked him out!” growled the teen, “I hope he returns the favour.”

“And here I thought we’d resolved our difficulties.”

“That was before you knocked Papa out!”

Suddenly stopping in the middle of the corridor, Len spun around to face his son. “And what should I have done?!” he sneered, “Left him there? For all we know, that future isn’t going to happen, and one move could have wiped Mick from existence!”

“Then talk to him! Knocking him out isn’t going to change his mind! He’ll just think you’re being possessive!” 

“He’s my husband! I have a right to be possessive!”

“Yeah, but not by knocking him out to keep him with you!”

Before Len could reply, Gideon’s voice came over the speakers. “Sorry to interrupt, but Mister Rory is awake and asking for you Mister Snart.”

“Wonderful…” sighed Len, “… Just wonderful.”

Quickly, the pair made their way to the brig, as Len sighed wearily. “Hello, Mick.”

Lucas found himself taking a step back in alarm, when his Papa turned around, a furious scowl on his face.

“You son of a bitch….” Growled Mick, staring at Len in anger and slight betrayal.

“Just calm down.”

“YOU LIED TO ME!” Mick ran at Len, clearly intending to strike him. Thankfully, the electric field prevented him from connecting with Len, shocking him and forcing him to take a step back.

Len shrugged, “Wouldn't be the first time. Remember the Del Ray Currency Exchange? The Black Hawk Armoured Car job? If I hadn't lied to you on those scores, we'd all be in prison or dead.”

Behind his Dad, Lucas resisted the urge to wince…. Those were completely different situations, and they all knew it. Undeterred, Len continued.

“I'm the brains. You're the muscle. That's how it's always been…. And on occasion, I've had to call some audibles. You have a habit of getting in your own way, Mick.”

There was a tense silence, before Mick grunted. “You're right…. You've lied to me about jobs before, but then again, you lied to me about this being a job. It's not about the score anymore for you two… You'd both rather save the world than be my partner and son. A real pair of team players.”

Lucas, who had initially winced at some of his Papa’s anger being directed at him, frowned at the accusation that he’d been turned into a goodie two-shoes.

“We’re only going along with the team 'cause that's what it's gonna take to defeat Savage!” he yelled.

“Then what brat? More money? More power? A life of leisure and sin?”

Having lost the last bit of his patience, Len waved his hand near the sensor and disabled the laser door. “Don't you get it, Mick? If we take out Savage, this immortal monster, can't you see what that gets us?”

“No... tell me.”

Lucas stepped forwards and beamed at the older man, trying to diffuse the tension, “We'd be the baddest sons of bitches of all time.”

“I don't want a ticker tape parade!” yelled Mick, shooting to his feet, causing Lucas to take a hurried step back, shielding himself behind his Dad slightly, “… You know what I want from this world.”

Len was tense as he looked his partner in the eye, a sad edge to his face. “Yes… to see it burn.”

“You lay a hand on me again, you'll burn too.”

Without saying another word, Mick shouldered past the pair and headed out of the cell. When the door that led to the corridors slid shut, Lucas yelped in shock when his Dad fell to his knees and started breathing heavily.

“Shit, shit, shit…” muttered the teen, “… don’t do this to me now. Shitting hell, breath Dad!”

Len clearly heard him as he tried to calm down, his hand clutching Lucas’s sleeve as he sucked in desperate breaths.

“That’s it Dad…” Lucas muttered soothingly, “… just breath.”

“H-H-He hates me!” 

Lucas winced, “No, no, he just…. He’s just angry with you at the moment. It’ll be fine…. It’s always fine.”

……………………………………….

It took a while to get Len fully calmed down, with Lucas taking him to the kitchen to make up a cup of tea. 

“Thanks Lucky…” Len whispered, “… I’m sorry you’ve been forced into the middle of this…. Disagreement.”

“Papa will understand…. He usually does after a while.”

Len clearly didn’t agree, but before he could say anything, Rip strode into the room. “We’re going after Sara….” He announced, a displeased smile on his face, “…. Grab your weapons. I believe there’ll be trouble.”

If Rip noticed how tense Len was, he didn’t mention it before he strode out of the room, his coat billowing dramatically behind him.

“Dad, maybe you should- “

“- I need to take my mind off of things.” Pushing himself to his feet and grabbing his gun, Len headed towards the door, “I think you’d better- “

“- Stay here? Yeah, I think you’re right.”

Len was slightly surprised by Lucas’s lack of argument, narrowing his eyes at his son. “… What are you planning?”

“… Can’t I just agree with you, without there being any ulterior motives?”

“No.”

“Oh…. Well, if you must know, my ribs are killing me and- “

“- Say no more. “Len smiled at Lucas, “I’ll see you later alright?”

“Yep!”

Whilst Len was still suspicious, he left without any further comments.

After waiting for around ten minutes to be sure that the rest of the team had left to go and help Sara, Lucas turned his attention to Gideon.

“Gideon…. Search for any records regarding Lucas Rory-Snart in this timeline.”

“I am very sorry Mister Rory-Snart, but any information regarding a possible future timeline cannot be divulged.”

“…Override Code Juliet, 7, Romeo, Echo, India, 8, 0.”

“Fine… Override Code accepted. All information regarding Mister Lucas Rory-Snart is now being gathered. Would you like the files to be displayed here?”

“Yes, thank you Gideon.”

Still clearly annoyed with him, Gideon didn’t reply, remaining silent as the holographic images of the relevant files were displayed in front of the teen. It took a little under half an hour for Lucas to read through all the information, and by the time he finished, he was in complete shock.

“I-is all this true?” he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

“…Yes. However, you should remember that this is just a possible future. Many things can change.”

Lucas didn’t say anything, still staring at the files in front of him.

………………………………………………………………………..

“Mister Rory-Snart… I just thought you would like to know that the rest of the team are back and we are preparing to leave 2046.”

Lucas was startled out of his thoughts, pushing himself to his feet as he waved the files away. 

“Thanks Gideon…” he whispered, “… hey, don’t mention this to Rip yeah?”

“…. If you insist.”

Silently, Lucas made his way to the deck, as Rip was going over to the Captain’s chair. “All right, Gideon, let's see if these repairs that Martin, Ray, and Jax made are up to scratch!”

“As far as I can tell, Ms. Saunders did most of the work, while the two gentlemen competed for- “

“- Just get us out of here please, Gideon.” Interrupted Stein frantically as Kendra frowned in confusion.

Whatever… Lucas didn’t care what drama had been going on while he was out. Seating himself down next to his Dad, Lucas turned his attention to his Papa, who was standing at the front of the ship, looking out onto the chaos of 2046, quickly being joined by Ray.

“I'm gonna miss this place….” He heard his Papa mutter.

Ray nodded, “Yeah, they really seemed like your kind of people.”

“… I don't know who my people are anymore.”

Lucas rolled his eyes at this as Ray and Mick made their way to their seats…. So melodramatic. And this was coming from him.

“So where to next, Captain?” asked Stein.

“Well, the beauty of this mission is that the real question is not where, but when. In which case, I suggest that we next hit Savage when he least expects it.”

If the conversation continued on from there, Lucas didn’t hear it. All he could see was that statement.

Lucas Rory-Snart: Born 1995- Died 2016


	26. Marooned AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship and I love the idea of them raising a kid together….hence this series of one-shots revolving around this scenario.
> 
> I am now taking prompts for these one-shots and the gif sets available on my Tumblr (http://geekygirl24.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwave)
> 
> Enjoy! Please read and review :)

Well… Rip’s confidence on finding Savage didn’t last very long. The Waverider had been floating around aimlessly for about a week now and Lucas was bored out of his skull.

Everything was still tense between his parents, so Lucas made the decision to pack his bags…. In order to keep Mick happy, Len was likely to ask to go back to 2016 soon.

Where Lucas would eventually die.

The thought wasn’t a pleasant one, and as it was unlikely to be caused by disease or something, Lucas started to prepare, arming himself with several knives on his person and set about creating his own specialist gun.

However, at the moment, he was playing Go Fish with Sara and his Dad on the stairs leading down to the cargo bay. His Papa had been sulking in the corner, angrily sharpening a switchblade…. Until he finally threw it at the wall, growling as it embedded itself opposite him.

“I'm done!” he growled, wrenching the knife out of the wall.

Len and Lucas simply glanced at him, before Len shrugged. “Don't mind him. He's still sore about having to leave 2046.”

“I'm sore because I was recruited for my unique ability to light things on fire!” Mick yelled, “And now, I'm locked in the one place where I can't light things on fire… a spaceship!”

In his anger, he stormed past the trio, pushing his way past Lucas as he headed up the stairs. 

“Where are you going?” Lucas asked, twisting around as Mick glared at him.

“Why? You gonna clock me in the head like your Daddy if I don't listen again?”

Lucas knew he’d gone pale at this, as Sara glanced between him and Len in concern, “Everything okay with you two?”

Barely looking up from his card, Len shrugged. “Yeah, peachy.”

Almost half an hour later, everyone was summoned to the deck, gathering around the console to watch a distress call.

“System malfunction. I'm stranded, unable to jump. Controls unresponsive. This is Captain Eve Baxter of the time-ship Acheron, requesting critical rescue!”

Mick frowned, “And we care about this chick why?”

“We don't, but the Acheron's computer will contain the current intel on Savage's whereabouts.” Rip was clearly thrilled at the thought, a wide beam on his face, “Gideon, set a course for the Acheron's position in deep space.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Deep space?” Stein shook his head in disbelief, “I had no idea we had the ability to explore the unknown realms of the galaxy. Astonishing!”

Lucas rolled his eyes at this…. They had literally travelled through time, and exploring deep space was astonishing? Some genius the old man was.

Jax also rolled his eyes, but for different reasons. “No. What's astonishing is that we're acting as roadside assistance for the people who's chasing us.”

“Doesn't it seem suspicious, this distress call just happened to reach us?” Len drawled as Jax and Lucas nodded in agreement.

Kendra also seemed to agree. “How do we know it's not a trap?”

“We don't…” sighed Rip, who seemed fed up with their suspicions, “…but what we do know is that Savage's trail has run cold. And unless Gideon can upload the data from the Acheron's computer- “

“- I'm in.” interrupted Mick.

Lucas and Len both glanced at him in shock. “Y-You are?” asked Lucas.

“The sooner we end Savage, the sooner I get back to where I belong.”

“Prison?”

Before Mick could say anything, Lucas span around to face Stein, a snarl on his face as he took a step forwards. “Fuck off Stein…. Don’t act like you’re better than us, because you’re not!”

Stein opened his mouth to reply, a glare on his face…. But he was quickly interrupted by Mick (who seemed unmoved by his son’s defense of him).

“Any prison on Earth's better than this one, Professor.”

“Gideon!” called out Rip, quickly noticing the tension as everyone moved to sit down.

“Yes, sir.”

“Engines to full throttle.”

“Of course, Captain.”

It didn’t take long for the Waverider to arrive at the destination, with a lone ship floating in the depths of space in front of them.

“Professor Stein, Mr. Jackson…” began Rip, “… would you care to join the boarding party?”

“A chance for an extra-vehicular docking manoeuvre? What could be more exciting?” exclaimed Stein in glee.

Jax clearly disagreed…. again. “Well, I could think of a few things.”

“Let's just get this thing started.” Grunted Mick, as he headed for the door. 

Just before he could leave the deck, Lucas intercepted him and grinned. “Hey, you think there's something worth stealing on that ship?”

“I'm just looking for a change of scenery kid….” Mick then turned to Len, “…If that's okay with you, boss.”

“Dr. Palmer. I leave the ship in your hands while we're gone….” Rip then turned to Kendra, “…. And I leave him in yours.”

Ray didn’t appear to have heard Rip, but judging by the look on Kendra’s face, she agreed with the decision.

…………………………………….

Almost an hour later, Lucas was bitterly regretting his decision to stay onboard the Waverider.

He did love Star Trek…. But Ray was pushing it.

“Captain's log. Star-date 837.9….” stated Ray, in his best serious tone as he sat on the Captain’s chair, “…We're awaiting word from the away team aboard the Acheron and- Hey!”

Holding his arms up against the barrage of pens that Lucas was throwing at his head, Ray gave him a hurt look. “What was that for?”

“You are ruining Star Trek for me!”

Kendra chuckled, “I hate to break it to you Ray, but you're no Captain Kirk…. You're Picard.”

“B-But Picard was cautious, pontificating, sort of sexless.” Protested Ray

“Well, tell that to Vash. And for the record, Picard was way hotter than Kirk.”

Lucas rolled his eyes, “Don’t compare Ray to Sir Patrick Stewart Kendra, there is no competition there.”

Seated in the chair next to his son, Len groaned. “Ooh, Mick had it wrong. This ship isn't a prison. It's a torture chamber.”

“Well, I don't think Mick's problem is with the ship.”

Len frowned at Sara, “You think it's with me.”

“You did knock him out and force him to leave 2046 Star City, which is like… Disneyland for felons.”

“He'll get over it. Mick runs hot. He always has. Once he calms down, everything will be back to normal.”

“… Yeah, I bet that one sounded more convincing in your head.”

“She’s got a point Dad.”

Before Len could say anything in retaliation, the computer started to beep and an unfamiliar voice came over the speakers and an unfamiliar face appeared on the main console screen.

“I'd like to speak to Acting Captain Raymond Palmer.” The man ordered.

Ray beamed at this as he made his way over to the screen, “Ooh, Acting Captain. I like the sound of that…. I'm Captain Palmer. Who are you?”

“I'm the man holding your crew hostage.”

“Captain Palmer…” came Rip’s voice from off camera, “… I've informed Mr. Valour of the fiery retribution you'll rain down upon him if we are not released immediately.”

Mr. Valour clearly didn’t appreciate this, as he quickly punched Rip in the stomach and pinned him to the console. “I'm gonna make this real simple. You surrender your ship, and I'll drop you off unharmed at a place and time of your choosing…. You've got 10 seconds to decide.”

“Or else what?” Ray scoffed, “If you want the Waverider for yourself, there's no way you'll fire on us.”

Valour snarled and aimed a blaster at Rip’s head. “Perhaps, but right now, I've got my sights set on your captain's head.”

 

Ray’s bravado quickly disappeared, “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Okay. Just give me a chance to negotiate”

“Ten… nine- “

“Maybe he's bluffing.?”

“- Eight- “

“You have clearly never played poker Puppy. It doesn’t feel like it.”

“- Seven- “

“You don't know Palmer, and how he survived the "Imperiex" onslaught!” Rip blurted out.

Seconds later, an alarm began to blare on the Waverider, causing the team to glance around.

“Uh, Gideon?”

“Captain Hunter programmed me to execute certain protocols in response to specific keywords.”

Len frowned, “What does that mean in English?”

“Strap yourselves in. We are on the move and preparing to fire.”

At the cheery tone in Gideon’s voice (for an AI, she liked violence a little too much), everyone rushed to their seats, quickly putting their seatbelts on as the ship fired at the opposing ship.

“What are you doing, Gideon?” snarled Len.

“Just a warning shot to let them know we mean business.”

“My partner's on that ship!”

After a few minutes of frantic flying, there was a loud bang and the Waverider rocked from side to side.

“There's a hull breach in the aft portion of the ship, and the pirates have taken out the telemetry controls.” Announced Gideon.

“Gideon, switch to manual.” Ordered Ray, as he rushed over to the Captain’s seat as Kendra tried to grab him.

“What are you doing?”

“If this is anything like a video game… flying a space ship.”

As Ray prepared to take control, Sara pushed herself to her feet, closely followed by Len and Lucas.

“Where are you guys going?” asked Kendra in exasperation.

“To deal with the hole in the ship.”

“Make sure Picard here doesn't get us all killed!” snarled Len.

“Actually, I'm more like Sulu right now…. Or Han Solo!”

As Kendra clearly resisted the urge to pull at her hair, Lucas ducked back into the room… “Don’t dirty Han Solo’s name like that!” … and then ducked back out again.

………………………………………………………………..

Running to the section where the hole was, the trio quickly heard the hissing noise of air rushing out of the ship as Len spotted the sizable hole.

“Here!”

Aiming his gun at the hole, Len started to form an ice blockade over it.

“How long can you keep that up for?” asked Sara.

“Not long. I'm gonna run out of charge.”

Seconds after saying this, the cold gun stopped and the ice stream trickled off. 

“Be advised, the breach is only partially contained.” Droned Gideon, as alarms began to sound within the room and the sound of the doors closing echoed off the metal walls.

Before the trio could leave, the doors slammed close and refused to open as per safety protocols

“Guess we know the bulkhead doors are working...” groaned Lucas.

“Too bad we're on the wrong side of them.”

Minutes later, Ray and Kendra appeared outside the door.

“Thanks for stopping by.” Sara stated, trying to sound upbeat.

“We're gonna get you out of here. Just hang tight.”

Sara glared at Ray, “Is there another option?”

“Don't mean to rush you, Raymond, but it's getting cold in here.” Len growled, pulling his son closer as he watched the teen shiver, “Normally I wouldn't complain, but- “

“Can't you just open the doors, Gideon?” Kendra interrupted.

“The bulkhead is designed to remain shut until the breach is sealed.”

“Well, that's not happening from in here!” Lucas yelled.

Kendra felt a sympathetic pang at this. “How much time do we have until- “

“We're dead?”

……………………………………..

Ray and Kendra had left around 30 minutes ago, with the scientist muttering something about his suit, leaving the trio to huddle together as the temperature dropped.

“I suppose this must feel like a day at the beach for you?” Sara chattered, glancing over at Len (and Lucas, who was practically seated in his Dad’s lap).

Holding his son close, Len smirked, “If I had to pick a way to die, freezing wouldn't be the worst…. What's it like? Dying? I imagine you've got a unique perspective.”

Sara chuckled, “You know, it's funny. I mean, you'd expect it to be terrifying, just panic and fear.”

“What'd you feel?” asked Lucas.

“I guess lonely. Like everybody I loved was a million miles away…. I mean, I don't like you two, but at least I'm not dying alone.”

There was a brief silence, before Len sighed, “Closest I ever came to dying was, uh the day I met Mick.”

“Why does that not surprise me?”

“It wasn't like that…. It was my first day in juvie. I was 14, and the smallest kid in there by far. Some of the older kids wanted to make sure I knew it. So, they jumped me…. I fought back, but one of them had a shiv and I figured that was it until Mick stepped in. They didn't mess with me after that… He's been standing up for me ever since.”

“Let's just hope he's standing up for Rip and Jax now.”

Lucas grinned at this, “Who else is gonna take on those pirates?”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Jax sighed wearily, “Sorry, Captain. I can't jerry-rig the door open.”

“Don't worry, kid. It's not your fault…” grunted Mick, “… It's his.”

Rip’s fists clenched in anger, “In case you've forgotten, Mr. Rory, you volunteered to be part of this boarding party.”

“I volunteered to get away from my partner and my son, who haven't been acting like my family ever since you fed their head with fairy tales about saving the world.”

“Your partner and son have minds of their own, Mr. Rory, which is more than I can say of you.”

Mick scowled at the Captain, “You saying that I'm dumb, Captain?”

Rip just snapped.

“Let's pretend, just for a moment, that you're the captain, stuck in the brig while the rest of your crew slowly perish on their damaged ship. Now, what would you do to get yourself out of that predicament?”

Jax could clearly see that Mick was trying to think of an idea…. Len and Lucas were on the dying Waverider, of course he was.

Rip didn’t care about that.

“Oh, no brilliant ideas? Really? Why am I not in the least bit surprised?”

“SHUT YOUR MOUTH, NOW!”

As Mick leapt up and charged at Rip, Jax jumped in between them, “Okay, let's all just take a deep breath.” He tried to defuse the situation.

“Or what?” snarled Rip “You'll punch me in the face, or burn me alive, or employ some other barbaric form of violence?”

“That's why you recruited me, isn't it? To hit, hurt, and burn?”

Rip smirked, “No, I recruited you because you and your partner were a package deal. I didn’t even want your brat to come along!”

“… What?”

Jax hissed in sympathy, turning a glare on Rip, 

“I'm sorry, Mr. Rory. But a serial arsonist was never part of my plan to stop Savage, much less one with the IQ of meat!”

A tense silence filled the cell, before Rip turned away and sighed, “I didn't mean to be so blunt. If I could just have a moment of quiet, then perhaps I can think of a way of getting us off this pirate ship.”

Jax couldn’t help but glare at the Captain…. Mick didn’t deserve that.

Mick however, seemed to come to his own conclusion. “I think I just beat you to it.”

Striding over to the cell door, the arsonist called out “Can anyone hear me?”

“What the hell do you think you're doing?” snarled Rip.

“… Me and the pirates are gonna have a little parlay.”

Shaking his head in denial, Jax tried to be the voice of reason (It’s so wrong that a 20-year-old has to be the mature one here), “Do not do this, Rory.”

“Too late.”

One of the pirates came up the laser barrier and raised an eyebrow at Mick, “What do you want?”

“I want to speak to Captain Valour.”

“About what?”

“About a time- ship.”

Rip growled angrily at Mick, “I am warning you.”

This time, Mick lost it.

“Shut up!” he yelled, grabbing Rip by the coat lapels and pulling him close, even lifting him slightly off the ground, “I may have the IQ of meat, but I know how to cut a deal!”

Mick was dragged to the deck and shoved to his knees in front of the pirate Captain. 

“I’m listening.” Grunted the Captain

“You want the Waverider…” sighed Mick. “… I want to go home.”

“Where is home for a man like you?”

“2016, Central City.”

“Of all the places in time, you want to go there?”

“That's right…. To the exact moment Hunter recruited me and my partner on this suicidal mission of his, but, this time, I'm gonna tell him where to shove it.”

Captain Valour chuckled at this, “Let me get this straight. I let you go, you'll deliver the Waverider.”

“Yes. Do we have an accord?”

“You think your friends will believe you were able to escape?”

Mick frowned in confusion, but was unable to shrink back when the Captain started striking him in the face.

“Not. Unless. I. Do. This!”

……………………………………………………….

 

“Nothing quite like dying to make you think about all the mistakes, all the wrong choices.” Len groaned

Lucas was drifting in and out of consciousness, still curled up against his Dad as the temperature continued to drop.

“Is this Leonard Snart coming to God in his final moments?” Sara replied, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Hardly…. Just wishing I could take a few things back. Maybe I should've left Mick in future Star City.”

“Why didn't you?”

“Without me to keep him in check, Mick can be a scary guy.”

Weakly, Lucas nodded against his Dad’s chest. “Agreed…” he mumbled.

“Hate to break it to you…” Sara sighed, “… but even if we make it out of here alive, you're still gonna have a problem on your hands. I've seen enough to know that Mick's in a dark place and he's not coming back.”

…………………………………………

Almost 10 minutes later, the door opened, catching the trio by surprise.

“Come on…” Len muttered, slowly getting to his feet, supporting Lucas as he made his way out of the room, “…. Gideon, prep the med-bay. Lucas is silent, which is never a good sign.”

“F-f-f-f-fuck you….”

“Yeah, yeah.”

……………………………………………….

Minutes later, with Lucas wrapped up in a hypothermia blanket and his Dad’s parka, and Ray alive and well, they turned their attention to what was happening on the Acheron.

“Funny you should ask….” Gideon answered, “… I just received a message from Mr. Rory. It seems he escaped capture and is now returning to the Waverider.”

“Told you….” Len smugly told Sara.

“Y-yeah!” exclaimed Lucas, “…. T-T-Those pirates picked the wrong guy to mess with.”

As they made their way to the Jumpship entrance point, Ray shook his head. “Since when does Rory even know how to fly the jump ship?”

“H-He probably watch Jax that one time.” Answered Lucas.

Kendra sighed, acting as though Lucas hadn’t even spoken. “How did he even find us?”

“Actually, I did the flying.” Interrupted Gideon, “He received quite a beating at the hands of the pirates.”

They then heard the Jumpship entrance door slide open.

“That's him now.”

The doors slid open, and a heavily bruised Mick entered the main ship…. A really dark scowl on his face.

“You okay, Mick?” Len asked in concern.

Mick didn’t say anything, instead, turning away slightly and calling out to someone in the Jump Ship. “Boys! Ship's all yours!”

At his words, heavily armed pirates rushed into the Waverider, all aiming their weapons as the remainder of the small crew.

“You son of a bitch.” Growled Ray, sounding more dangerous that Lucas had ever heard him be.

Len ignored the others anger and frowned at his partner. “What are you doing, Mick?”

“I'm getting us home. Are you in?”

Pulling Lucas along with him, Len sighed, preparing his gun. “Yeah…. Time to choose a side, I guess.”

There was a brief moment of silence as Len glanced between the two groups, before snarling at the pirates. “Chosen.” 

He fired an icy blast at the pirates, giving the Legends enough time to get away.

“Bastard!” Yelled Mick, “Go! Get them! Go! I'll get the time drive.”

As his Dad dragged him through the ship, Lucas rolled his eyes. “Just so you know, I am Switzerland in this whole fight. SWITZERLAND!”

………………………………………………………………..

As they tried to force the pirates back, Gideon had another update for them. “Mr. Rory is making his way to the engine room to access the time drive.”

“I'll handle it.” Len growled, darting out of his cover, only to be struck in the mid-section by a laser bolt and propelled into a nearby wall, unconscious almost immediately.

“DAD!” Lucas yelled, rushing over and quickly checking Len’s pulse. 

Steady thankfully.

As the girls fought the pirates in the corridors, Lucas pulled his Dad into a secluded corner, coming to a silent decision in his mind.

“Sorry Dad…” he whispered, removing the cold gun from Len’s grip, “… but I’ve got to do this.”

Following Sara to the engine room, Lucas waited outside the room, listening to his Papa and the assassin fight.

Sara fight have the skills, but Mick had brute strength… and the flame gun.

Quicker than what Lucas was really expecting, Mick over-powered Sara and fired his gun at her, singing her arm slightly.

He couldn’t let this continue.

“Papa!” he called out, stepping from the corner he was hiding in and catching Mick’s attention. As soon as Mick’s attention was away from Sara, Lucas fired the cold gun and hit Mick in the mid-section, propelling the arsonist into the wall and knocking him unconscious.

Just as Len made it to the room, having woken up and quickly realising what his son was going to do, Lucas collapsed against the wall, sliding to the ground clutching the cold gun.

“Lucky! Lucky!” Len rushed over, gently encouraging his son to look him in the eye, “What happened?”

When Lucas didn’t answer, staring at the gun, Len glanced around and quickly spotted Mick’s unconscious body. “What did you do?” he whispered.

“… Papa was going to kill Sara.” Lucas hissed angrily, “I did what I had to do.”

“Waverider, this is Captain Hunter.” Rips voice came over the speaker, “We've regained control of the Acheron. What's your status?”

Mick stirred into consciousness, prompting Lucas to leap to his feet and continue to aim the cold gun at his Papa. The arsonist smirked at this, “What are you gonna do, brat?”

There was a brief moment of silence, before Lucas stormed over and pistol whipped his Papa around the head, knocking him out once again. 

“That….” The teen then turned to the rest of the team, “…. You’d best get him to the brig.”

Without waiting for anyone to say anything, Lucas stormed out of the room and went straight to his room…. Where he collapsed onto his bed and swore violently.

……………………………………………

“Okay…. I'll say it.” Sighed Ray as he and the rest of the team (minus Lucas) were gathered in Rip’s office, “Why don't we just drop him off back in 2016?”

Len’s face was clearly showing the stress of the fight with Mick, and Lucas’s change in attitude. “Because my sister lives in 2016….” He growled, “And Sara’s sister, and Stein’s wife.”

“So, what exactly are we talking about here?” sighed Jax, “Leaving Rory in the brig until we take down Savage?”

Rip shook his head at this, “No, no, no, no, the brig is unsuitable for long-term incarceration.”

“Well giving him free run of the ship is not an option.” Sara groaned.

“I'll handle it.”

Everyone turned to Lex in alarm.

“By handling it, you mean murder?” asked Stein.

“I said I'll handle it.”

Before anyone could say anything else, Len turned and headed for the brig.

“Wait!” Jax cried out, as everyone followed, “What about Lucas?!”

……………………………………………

Seated directly outside the cell, keeping a careful eye on his Papa and his hands on the cold gun, Lucas was mid-rant.

“- stupid mother-fucker. Why pirates? Why didn’t you lie to them about helping and then turn against them?! Instead you forced our hands…” He sighed, “… They’re all talking about you, you know. Wondering what they’re going to do with you…. Probably just dump you back in 2016.”

He shook his head, “Maybe I’ll come with you. This place is driving me insane, and I despise…. Like three quarters of this crew?”

Before he could say anything else, there were the sounds of footsteps echoing in the corridor as Len stormed up to him, closely followed by the rest of the crew.

“Lucky… give me the gun.”

Silently, with a confused frown on his face, Lucas did as he was told, watching as Len opened the cell and started to drag Mick out.

“What’s going on?” he asked, his frown deepening as he pushed himself to his feet and tried to follow his Dad…. Only to be stopped as Ray placed his arm out and placed a hand on his chest. “Dad! What’s going on?!”

Nothing.

Pushing past Ray, Lucas raced after his Dad.

“Dad! Will you just answer me?!”

Still nothing.

Just before Len could start pulling Mick out of the ship, Lucas came to a sudden realisation…. All he could see were woods…. Nothing relating to Central City.

This wasn’t going to be a simple drop-off.

This was going to be an execution.

“No…” he whispered, attempting to run after his Dad, only to be grabbed by both Kendra and Ray, “…. DAD NO!”

He knew Len had heard him, as he saw the older man wince…. But he didn’t stop.

“LET ME GO!” he screamed at the top of his lungs, straining against Kendra and Ray’s grip, “DAD! DAD!”

“Lucas…” Rip stepped in front of him and placed two hands on his shoulder as the door closed, blocking them off from whatever Len was going to do next, “… your Fa-Dad needs to do this. Mick is dangerous, you know this. You had to knock him out after all.”

There was a moment of tense silence, before a growl of sheer frustration and anger erupted from Lucas as he tore himself out of the loosening grip and leapt at Rip and holding up his switchblade to the Captain’s throat.

“Stay back!” he ordered the rest of the team, snarling in anger as his grip tightened on Rip’s coat, “You’re murderers! You’re all murderers!

“Well technically, Len is- “ 

Ray stopped in his tracks when Lucas turned to glare at him. Once Ray was suitably silent, Lucas turned his attention back to Rip and pressed the blade against his cheek. 

“From the very beginning of this mission, you’ve thought of us as criminal freaks. Psychopaths that you can use to your advantage, because if anything goes wrong, then you can blame us… which has happened after almost every mission!”

“Look, just- “

“- Calm down? Is that what you were going to say?”

Rip just glared at him…. Until Lucas sliced his cheek with the blade. It wasn’t a very deep cut, but it would scar… if Gideon didn’t get involved.

The Captain yelped in pain as Lucas pushed him towards the rest of the team.

It was like a red mist had come over him. He couldn’t feel anything except pure rage.

“You are all murderers!” he growled, “You all wanted to be heroes so badly, and look where we are now!”

He turned his attention to Rip, “You’ll never get your family back you know…” he hissed, “…. All you’re doing is making it worse for them. The more you interfere, the harder Savage will try to kill them. You’ve ensured their fate!”

He then turned to Kendra, “He’s going to get you killed! Do you really think he cares about you? You are a means to an end. If you die, then he’ll go to another time period and grab you then. As long as his precious family survives, who cares about anyone else, right Rip?”

“Now wait just a minute, I- “

“- To be honest…” Lucas interrupted, “… I’m not surprised that some of you agreed to this. Once an assassin, always an assassin, right Sara? And you Kendra! That primal rage we saw back in Russia must be loving this!”

Sara and Kendra looked like they were going to lash out, before Lucas turned to Stein, “I bet your wife will be so proud of you. Well done Stein! It’s good to see proof that even one of the smartest men in the world, can be reduced to having a caveman IQ!”

When Lucas turned his attention to Ray and Jax, he took a sick delight in how they shrunk back slightly. “.. I feel sorry for you two…” he sighed, “… you both clearly want to do what’s best, even if you sometimes mess up…” Here he glanced at Ray, “… but if you really want to be a part of this team, then you’re as bad as them. Get out while you still can.”

Leaving his stunned audience behind, Lucas raced to his room, ordering Gideon to lock the door behind him as he began to pace.

What should he do?!

Less than a minute passed, before he came to a conclusion. Scribbling out a note on a piece of paper, he left it on the bedside table and grabbed the bag that he’d packed earlier.

Making sure that no-one was around, he raced to the cargo bay, and opened the door. Before he could actually leave the ship however, Gideon’s voice came over the speakers.

“Shall I inform Captain Hunter of your departure?”

“… No Gideon. Don’t tell anyone until they realise I’m gone.”

“And if we are already in the time-stream?”

“Then you’re in the time-stream and I’m not… I honestly couldn’t care less.”

There was no reply at this, prompting Lucas to head out of the ship and run into the woods surrounding them.

……………………………………………..

“…. DAD NO!”

Len winced at the pain and realisation in his son’s voice…. But he had to do this.

He had to keep his son safe and complete the mission.

“LET ME GO!” Lucas continued to scream “DAD! DAD!”

Once he was far away enough from the ship, Len left Mick on the ground and kicked him awake. It took a few seconds, but eventually Mick groaned and pushed himself to his feet.

“I told you not to knock me out or I’ll kill you, so you get the brat to do it?!” he growled.

Len couldn’t face his partner…. Not when he felt like he was going to burst into tears.

“That the plan?” Mick continued, “Take me out in the middle of nowhere, where no one can find the body?”

“I wish there were some other way, Mick…” Len sighed, spinning around on his heel and pulling his cold gun out of the holster, “…but you're dangerous! A liability to the team!”

“Team? You, me and the kid were a team! What happened to you two?!”

“People change Mick!”

 

Glaring at Len, Mick smirked “You think you're some kind of hero, but deep down you're still the same punk kid I saved in juvie…. You haven't got the guts. You want to kill me? Kill me. Only one of us is walking out of here alive.”

This was a devastating sentence to hear, and Len knew that his face showed how devastated he was. “… You're right.”

He pulled the trigger.

…………………………………………………..

Emotionally exhausted, Len eventually made his way back to the Waverider, shuffling past the rest of the team as they stared at him in concern.

“Let’s go…” he muttered, not looking them in the eye, “… I’ll be in our…. My room if you need me.”

“Mister Snart, I- “

Len held up his hand and shook his head, “Not now…. Not right now.”

Refusing to say anything else, Len walked away, knowing that they would be thinking the worst of him at this precise moment in time… he could live with that.

He couldn’t live with his son thinking that of him.

“Lucky?” Len rapped his knuckles on the door, not wanting to just walk inside because that wouldn’t help matters, “Lucky, I know you’re angry but you don’t know the whole truth.”

Silence.

“Lucky?”

Still silence.

“Gideon. Open the door.”

Without saying anything, the door slid open and Len made his way inside.

Something was wrong.

Glancing around the room, Len noticed that the wardrobe door was open and the clothes were gone. There didn’t appear to be anything personal of his son’s in this room.

Except the family picture lying on the bed and the note on top of it.

As he scanned over the note, Len’s eyes widened in alarm.

“Gideon!” he yelled, racing out of the room, “Locate my son!”

Racing into the control room, it was obvious they were already in the time stream, and a quick glance around showed him that Lucas wasn’t on the deck either.

“Has anyone seen Lucas?” he asked, his tone clearly panicked.

Nobody could look him in the eye, in fact everyone made a conscious effort to appear nonchalant…. Well everyone except Ray and Jax.

“There was… an incident.” Sighed Ray, “Lucas got- “

“- psychotic.” Interrupted Sara, “Lucas flipped out and sliced Rip’s cheek.”

Len had noticed that, and the fact that Rip hadn’t let Gideon heal it, said a lot.

“So where is he now?”

“… He’s not in his room?”

“Don’t you think I already tried there! All I found was this!” Len waved the note around, “Gideon, where is my son?!”

Gideon was silent for a few moments, before she tentatively spoke up. “Lucas Rory-Snart is no longer on the ship.”

“WHAT!” everyone exclaimed as the Waverider came to a slow cruise within the time-stream.

“Lucas Rory-Snart is no longer on the ship.” Repeated Gideon, “He instructed me not to mention this until we were in the time stream.”

Rip frowned at this, “I’m the Captain Gideon, I- “

“- he used some over-ride codes Captain Hunter. He placed himself in a second-in-command position. There was nothing I could do.”

Len turned to Rip, “We have to go back! We have to go and get him.”

“We can’t! We won’t be able to travel to that exact time and place without creating a paradox! What if we interact with our past selves?! What if Lucas’s actions in that time period lead to an important event in the present, and taking him from that place has a negative effect on your time?! There are too many possibilities!”

“So, we’re just meant to leave a FIFTEEN-year-old there all alone?!”

“Surely he can take care of himself until we finish the mission? Once the Time Masters realise that we’ve saved the world and prevented Savage’s world domination plan, they may be able to extract Lucas from the time-line without it having a significant impact on future events.”

“He can’t even cook!” exclaimed Len, “What is he going to do for food?!”

“I’m sure he’ll be alright…. But maybe he’ll learn not to run away like a child!”

Unsurprisingly, Len leapt at Rip.

………………………………………………………………………………..

Six months after the Waverider left those forests, two policemen stood over the body of a murder victim.

“Such a shame…” sighed one of them, as they covered the face, “…. And at his age.”

“Hmmmm, any witnesses?”

“No… someone saw him enter the alleyway, and the next minute, he was dead.”

“Anyone know who he is?”

“No…. it’s like he appeared out of nowhere.”

“Sad. I wonder if he has any family?”

“Probably…. Poor fucks.”


End file.
